The Matchmaker
by theBellKat
Summary: Maya and Max are twin sisters who have just moved from New York to California. As they adjust to new everythings, Maya forces Max to help her get to know a certain tall, dark, and silent boy. But will Max and Fang fall for each other instead?  FAXFAXFAX!
1. Starting School

**Max POV**

Since when was I ever like this? My hands were clammy, and they were shaking so hard I could barely open the car door. I shouldn't be this way. I was supposed to be tough, with a rock-hard shell that almost never broke down. Even if I hadn't ever moved before, especially not from sea to shining sea, I wasn't supposed to be nervous. Not in a box, not with a fox, not in a house, not with a mouse, OH SHUT UP ME. I was rambling again like my best friend Nudge back in New York. Man, she had a motormouth. But, I loved her anyway. She promised to visit during break.

Now, I finally got out of the van, as my twin sister Maya slammed the door behind us. She scowled. "Ugh, get out of my way." I just rolled my eyes and slowly made my way up to the massive wooden doors of my new high school. I took a deep breath and looked around me. It seemed friendly enough, made of this whitish stone and surrounded by really green grass and cherry blossom trees. I took another deep breath and reached for the door.

So, before I go on and keep you thinking about who this crazy person is, I'll introduce myself. My name is Maximum Ride, but call me Max. If you really are just DYING to know more (but curiosity killed the cat, didn't it) then, I like chocolate chip cookies and coffee and ravens and hanging from curtains pretending to fly. I don't like a lot of things, but I'm not going to say them because I'm trying to be optimistic, okay?

I pushed open the door and my jaw hit the floor. Literally. This place was HUGE. The tiled floors seemed to go on forever, and there were so many doors it was overwhelming. The walls were painted this bright, summer cottage yellow. I had to weave my way through mobs of people with Maya in tow. I could hear all the students whispering "That's them," and "They're cute!", much to Maya's delight. She lived for her social status. She spent three hours solely on her mascara today. I don't even wear makeup.

I finally found a door marked Office. Once we went in, the secretary lady smiled at us. "Ride sisters?" I nodded, and she said, "Here's your schedules. And welcome to Seahaven High! If you need any help, just come back here, or you can ask anybody, really. Everyone's friendly, I'm sure." Then, she went off to make a phone call. I glanced at Maya's schedule, and noticed that we were in different homerooms, even though they were organized alphabetically. We must have somehow just made the cut for two different homerooms. I looked down at my schedule. Let's see. Where was room 120?

**Maya POV**

I have been preparing for this day for like, ever. Don't get me wrong, I totally miss New York and everything, but starting a new school is so exciting! When I woke up that morning I spent a ton of time on my dark brown hair, trying out this new cinnamon bun I had heard of. I'm so glad I didn't get Max's hair which is dirty blonde with a ton of sun streaks. I mean, no offense, but dirty blonde is like, dirty. Then, I spent another hour looking in the mirror checking to see if my eyes were uneven. Max says they're mud colored, just like hers, but they are OBVIOUSLY a warm chocolate brown. Like, get real.

And really, when I finally walked down the stairs, my sister was already shoving waffles caked with maple syrup down her throat. Ugh. I looked at her. She was wearing her her hair in a ponytail, and she had on her usual basketball shorts and ratty old T-shirt. I mean, COME ON, she should at least try for the first day at our new school. Or, should I say _my _new school. I was so going to be the Queen Bee. I could just see it. But still, being a freshman was obviously intimidating, and on top of that, who comes to a new school five weeks into the year? Apparently, I do.

Half a hour later, I'm wandering the empty hallways, lost as heck, when a deep voice asked, "Need some help?" I looked up to see these gorgeous pair of obsidian eyes flecked with gold. The guy had dark hair with olive skin and he was TALL. Even taller than Max, maybe, who's 5'10". I tried not to get lost in his eyes, which were like never ending black holes. "Um, I'm um, looking for, um Room 117?" I stammered, trying to remember all my friend Brigid back home had taught me about flirting. It had just flown out of my brain.

He nodded, and motioned for me to follow him. As we walked in silence, all I could think about was, wow, not much of a talker, huh? But that wasn't a big deal. I would get him to open up. There it was. Room 117. He sat down just as the bell rang, leaving me stranded there in the doorway. I didn't know where to sit, so I just stood there awkwardly, twirling my hair.

The teacher grunted and stood up. "You must be Max?" His voice was gruff, harsh.

"Ummm, no. Max is my twin, but you know, fraternal. I'm Maya. I mean, how could we even be twins? Like, she's a total jock and doesn't even care about her looks! Really, today, she wore this old yellow tee with black shorts. You do know that you look like a bumble bee when you wear that? But, I guess she's in another homeroom." I stopped, wide-eyed looking around at the oh-my-gosh-what-did-I-just-say classroom. I blushed.

"Well, Maya, I'm Mr. Melvin. You can take a seat next to Fang over there and introduce yourself." I slung my bubblegum pink bag over my shoulder and took a sea next to the guy in the hallway. What kind of name is Fang, anyway? Then, I started my introduction speech.

**I know, I don't like Maya either, but in order for the story to devlop, she kind of has to be that way. Besides, one of my best friends has dirty blonde hair, and I love her hair, so I didn't mean to offend anyone. And, I'm truly sorry if their are any errors or mistakes. I was just so excited to get this story up that I didn't really go over it with a fine tooth comb, but please, no flames! And REVIEW!**


	2. Meeting People

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! It was awesome to see all the nice comments!**

**Max POV**

I'm not social. That's another thing to know about me. So, I don't even understand how I made a friend already. I was just walking, walking, and walking some more, when I finally stumbled upon my homeroom. When I opened the door, the teacher had already started taking attendance. As the door behind me closed with a slam, everyone looked over at me. The boys whistled. Why were they, anyway? I wasn't dressed all nice or anything. "Max Ride." I stuck my hand out of my pocket and held it out.

"Umm...who?" After a few awkward silences, the teacher finally seemed to gather herself. "I'm Ms. Murphy. Oh! Maximum Ride. You're one of the new students, right? Don't you have a twin, though? Oh, she must be in the other homeroom. Well then, hae a seat...wait, first, you might want to introduce yourself to the class."

"I'm Max, and I moved here from New York."

"Well, can you tell us some hobbies? Some things about yourself?" Ms. Murphy was back at her desk, grabbing a case of colorful chalk.

"I like sports, but I mainly do track."

"What would people say about you? Are you sweet? Caring?"

"I guess I'm kind of impulsive, and I hate fake people who talk a bunch of crap."

Ms. Murphy looked kind of shocked, and stood up a bit straighter. Behind her, I could see she was drawing this intense chart on conversation topics. There were blue and green arrows going all over the board and orange circles around everything. Talk about STRANGE. "Well, um, I suppose you're done then! You can take a seat next to Iggy over there." She pointed to a guy with strawberry blond hair and pale skin. His milky blue eyes looked at something above my head, he was blind.

"Is she usually like this?" I asked as a took my seat.

"Yeah, you're actually lucky she didn't go all pyscho on you. She's a lot worse most of the time." We talked for the rest of homeroom, and compared our schedules. Turns out, he was in all my classes. What a coinkidink, I thought, but a good one, because he was funny and really nice. He could navigate his way through the school without any help, which was pretty cool. For first period, Maya was also in Math, and I could see her trying to talk to this really tall guy and failing miserably. He looked so disinterested it was hilarious. She finally gave up and went to talk to another girl, one with dark red hair and green eyes and a shower of freckles across her nose. When class started, she sat near me, and even from three seats away, she reeked of over-applied lavender perfume. Thankfully, I didn't have to introduce myself again, and I talked to Iggy for the rest of the period.

**Maya POV**

Lissa was officially my new BFF. We were even going for coffee after school I had told the homeroom ALL about me, and I could swear Fang perked up a bit. I tried talking to him after, but he shut up like a rock again. Whatever. Lissa told me that he was the guy every girl had a crush on at some point, and a lot of them hadn't gotten over him yet. Apparently, he just never talked.

Max was in my math class, and she was blabbing to this albino guy. Like, seriously. He was as pale as my butt in the middle of winter. I was texting Lissa the whole period, and I actually learned quite a bit. Turns out, Fang was easily the most popular guy, but this jock named Dylan was quickly catching up. Then, Lissa was in the popular clique, so that immediatly bumps up my social status. After math, I was gathering my books as Lissa made her way over to me. Ugh, we have gym next," she moaned, "And, we have to run laps!"

"We have to run laps?" My voic came out more as a shrill squeal, which was understandable. I HATED running. That was Max's thing.

"Yeah. What sucks is that you actually have to sweat. Ms. Anthony can see if you're slacking from a mile away. But, at least our uniforms are okay. I mean, I've seen worse."

When I saw them, I realized I could make do. The navy shorts I could make a bit shorter, and the shirt I could tie up with a tank top underneath. Lissa was doing the same thing. As I looked in the mirror, I silently prayed and hoped that I wouldn't look to bad after the period was over.

**Yay! Second chapter is up! And please review! It would really mean the world.**


	3. Gym Class

**Max POV**

For some reason, running calmed me down. There was a sense of peace, with the wind rushing through my hair, all the voices dimming as I ran faster and faster until I felt like flying. I love that feeling, where you forget everything that's around you and all you can do is run.

I was in gym class now, and tying my hair up in a messy ponytail before going out onto the track. I had to choke back laughter when I saw Maya in her short shorts. I was laughing so hard I must have sounded like a horse. Her shorts were so short you could see her neon green underwear. It was hilarious to see her trying to talk to guys, not because they weren't interested (they were actually hanging on her every word) but because of their disgusted faces at how she looked after she ran the laps, gunky makeup melting off her face, hair in a raccoon's nest, and sweating like a hog.

I met Iggy at the starting line. "Are you any good at this?" he asked. "Because I suck." I just shrugged my shoulders. I really didn't know. I was the best at my old school, as in undefeated, but with all the moving madness, I didn't have time to run. I heard the shrill sound of a whistle blowing.

"Alright ladies and gentlebugs, today, as you might have heard, we're doing track. I'm going to put you into groups of four and then the winner of each group had to race against the other winners until one person beats everyone. And, see if you can beat Fang, who is the reigning champion." Ms. Anthony beamed at Fang, the guy who Maya was talking to in Math. He smirked. Ms. Anthony blew her whistle and the first four took off, Iggy and Maya included.

I stared at Iggy in disbelief as he ran. That kid didn't know what he was talking about. Slow? He must have been joking. Those skinny legs of his were moving at lightning speed, and he was way up at the front. Then, I saw Maya. Oh. My. Gosh. She was actually going so slow she was practically skipping like a deranged slug. Iggy won easily, and I sat back to watch the next four. That guy Fang was racing, and no kidding, he really was fast. You could barely see him, he just looked like a streak of black.

When it was my turn, I heard the whistle blow and I started running. I raced past the other three, just concentrating on the trees, rushing by, tossing cherry blossoms my way. I lapped everyone, and I speeded around the last corner, exhilarated. Iggy jogged up to me. "Wow!" he said. "You might even be fater than Fang!" That was nice to hear. I guess I wasn't really out of shape, all the box packing and stuff must have kept me in pretty good condition.

As the first round finished, the second round started. I was racing against Fang, Iggy, and this other girl who I didn't know. The whistle blew once again, and I felt my feet pounding on the ground, the slightly rubbery, cementish feeling beneath my feet. The wind whistled through my ears as I ran faster and faster. The other girl lagged behind slightly as Fang, Iggy, and I kept running. I was neck and neck , nose to nose with them when Iggy, arms flailing, suddenly tripped over his untied shoelaces. He let out a girlish yelp. It was just Fang and I now, rounding the last corner. Part of me wanted to let Fang win, reminding me that it was still my first day, and I shouldn't trample all over someone else's turf. But of course, my competitive side took over and I put on an extra burst of speed at the end, beating Fang by less than a foot.

"We have a new champion!" Ms. Anthony shrieked, giving me an earache and a headache and all sorts of other aches. "Alright, tomorrow is pickle ball! Have a nice day!" As I headed to the locker rooms, all I could think about was, what the heck was pickle ball?

**Maya POV**

Eeew. Stupid sweat. And stupid Max, too. Afte she beat my future boyfriend, it seemed like all the hot guys were noticing her. The only problem with the gym uniforms is that it makes Max seem a lot less tomboyish and more like a girl. Though I hate to admit it, Max can pull off almost any type of clothing. Except what she usually wears.

And now, instead of looking all healthy and glowing like Max, I was all sweaty and gross. I tried my best to fix myself up, but I had the feeling I still lookd awful. When I met Lissa by the door, she had somehow magically applied a fresh face of makeup and fixed her hair AND completely de-sweatified herself in the 10 minutes that we had. "Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it," she whispered. "Besides, there's always lunch and studyhall to redo your hair."

**Max POV**

The next three periods had gone by fast. I was just zoned out, and now my stomach was grumbling for lunch. I never bought anything from th school cafeteria because 1) the food was usually gross, and 2) there was never enough food to make me even decently full. On the first day at my old school, the lunch ladies got mad at me for buying so much food. They complained that I should leave some for the other students. For some reason, though, no matter how much I ate, I never seemed to gian any weight. I've got this high metabolism that Maya's so jealous of. I just look at her plate at dinner piled high with nothing but salad and I laugh.

Today, I had four avocado and cheese sandwiches, a container full of bacon, and eight chocolate chip cookies. My mom's were the best. No competition. No joke. Nada.

**I tried to make this chapter longer, but I really have no idea how many words I have until I download it. All the words are in Chinese, so it doesn't show me. I just came back from watching The Vow with two of my friends. Really, I was crying so hard I couldn't even speak. The only thing I could say was WAHHHH. I don't know why I got so sad, maybe because the ending was so abrupt and that made me think it wasn't alright. R&R?**


	4. Lunch

**Thanks so much for all the nice reviews!**

**Max POV**

I sat down at Iggy's table, he said he would save me a seat. "Hey."

"Hey," he replied. "This is Ella, Tess, and Sam." Let me describe them to you. Ella was pretty short, around 5'2" and was tan with dark brown hair and brown eyes. Tess and Sam, on the other hand, were taller than I was, so they were around 5'10". Tess had super straight shoulder length blond hair and blue eyes. She didn't have many freckles, but when I looked more carefully, I could see one or two on her nose. Sam was...cute. I don't think I've ever really said that before about anybody except my friend Angel. Or a chipmunk. Like, as in awww, what a cute chipmunk! I'm even providing examples for you. Look how considerate I am. Anyway, there was no other way to describe Sam. He had a boyish face with blond hair and green eyes. Cute. But not like a chipmunk.

Everyone at the table's eyes flew open when they saw my lunch. "Do you-do you eat all that?" Ella asked, but timidly, as if she was afraid to do so.

"Yeah, and I know I eat an abnormal amount of food, but for some reason I'm always hungry."

"No, it's not abnormal at all. Well, not really at least." Ella seemed earnest, shyly tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"And," Iggy said as he pulled out his lunchbox, "I eat more than you do." He took out a sandwich.

"And how is THAT a lot?"

But then, he pulled out 2 more, then 3 bottles of water, 3 containers of bacon, and 2 huge slices of chocolate cake. Ella seemed to want to say something, but then she kept eating her lunch. I just shook my head. "Are you going to eat all that bacon or what?"

**Maya POV**

Where to sit...where to sit? I found Lissa's table after a couple of minutes. Unlike Max, I didn't have super human eyesight. Or strength. Or insanely high metabolism. But who cares, anyway? I actually needed glasses, but who wants to wear those ugly things? I wanted contacts, but my mom wouldn't get them for me. Ugh.

I made my way over to Lissa as she moved her stuff to make room. "Hey! When d'you fix your hair?"

"I just went to the bathroom during Social Studies. Does it look okay?" I had took done my cinnamon bun and replaced it with this cool looking waterfall braid.

"Super," Lissa replied. "So, Maya, meet Callie, Brianna, and Tiffany!" Let me describe them. Callie had really black hair and super jade green eyes. Brianna was like Lissa, with dark red hair, but she had brown eyes. Tiffany had ice blond, pinstraight hair, and blue-green eyes.

As I statred eating my salad, the other girls were talking. "Hey, Lissa said. "We're thinking of trying out for the cheer squad next Friday. You should definetely come with us and try out! Do you cheer?"

"I did at my old school." I popped a cherry tomato into my mouth. "Wait, but Max and I have to walk home together then. That's when we're supposed to unpack the last moving box, and we're going out to eat."

Callie piped up. "Who's Max?"

I rolled my eyes. "My ugly twin sister. She's over there, eating with the albino guy and some other weird people."

Tiffany gasped. "Iggy? She's friends with Iggy?" She sighed. "I've had a crush on him for forever. Ever since he helped me with my books and held the door open for me. He's really nice," she added dreamily. All the other girls murmured in agreement.

"He's actually quite popular. And even if he doesn't seem like the type, he's best friends with Fang." Brianna stared. "I can't believe your sister became friends with him so quickly."

"He's friends with Fang?" Max's friends didn't seem so blah after all.

Callie nodded. "And, Max could be really gorgeous, if she wore the right stuff. She doesn't even need makeup!"

I quickly changed the subject. "Yeah, well, what about those cheerleading tryouts?"

**Max POV**

Lunch was fun, but I still had to face an entire afternoon's worth of boring classes. At least Tess and Sam were in my LAR class and Ella was in my Home Ec class. I had to face Science all alone, though. At first I thought Iggy was in all my classes, but he actually wasn't. I was extremely disappointed in him. WHY IGGY WHY?

But, I would make do.

I entered LAR to see Tess and Sam already there, and with a seat saved for me. "Our teacher's awesome. You're going to love her." Sam grinned cheekily at me.

"Am I now?" I sat down, just as Fang sat down between me and Iggy, who had just arrived. I must have looked really confused, because Tess whispered, "He and Iggy are best friends- or since fifth grade. And, he's also Ella's adopted brother. He sits here to avoid all his screaming fan girls." She smirked. It was true. There was at least one girl at every table that looked disppointed in his choice of seat.

"Why doesn't he sit with you guys at lunch, then?"

"He usually does, but I guess today he had something to do."

Just then, the bell rang, starting class. A few moments later though, in came Maya, acting as if she owned the world. She sauntered to me, ignoring the teacher, and plopped her books down on my desk. My sister winked at Fang, then turned to me. "Get out," she demanded. "This is my seat now."

"Gosh, whatever made you so moody, sis? Besides, if you haven't noticed, my butt's already planted in this seat. Do you really think I'm getting out for you?"

"Yes. That's why you're such a good sister! Now let me sit next to Fang!"

I snorted. "I'm not getting out. Keep dreaming."

Maya looked at Fang. "You'll defend me, right?" She made a disgusted face towards me, and then turned back to Fang, pouting like a fish.

He shook his head. "She _was_ here first." Maya shot a pathetic glare at me and stomped away, almost tripping over her insanely high heels. Really. They could be a dangerous weapon. I once knew a girl who's aunt always carried around a high heel in her purse to ward off any burglars. Yeah, she was weird.

Fang gained some respect from me. Just a bit, anyway.

**Maya POV**

My sister. Disgusts. Me. I walked into LAR class after an ah-mazing lunch period with the girls - see? I'm already making besties – to find Max sitting next to MY FANG. So, I marched over there to demand my rightful seat. And I was completely humiliated. Fang stood up fo Max! My stupid sister! During class, I saw Fang talking to her. All I could catch were snippets of their conversation, though.

"I'm Max."

"Isn't that kind of a...strange name?"

"You're one to talk!" She scoffed, but smiling slightly. "What's the story?"

"What story?"

"The story of your namesake! I love hearing those!"

"Umm, it's a long one?"

"Let's hear it!"

And on they went. Fang wouldn't talk to me after four whole periods together, but could carry a conversation with my sister after five minutes? There was something extremely wrong with that. I could see Max laughing and I couldn't help but glare at the two of them. That was supposed to be ME. Max didn't even like him, probably. Well, she never liked a guy before, so why now? She was going to end up single anyway, so save to guys for me! Now, instead of sitting with Fang, I was stuck with a group of losers. I looked at my tablemates. Ugh. Loser, loser, loser, and loser. Seriously. One was picking his nose.

**So. Love it? Hate it? I made sure to make this one longer, so PLEASE PLEASE PRETTY PRETTY PLEASE R&R? **


	5. The Afternoon

**Thanks for the reviews! And to answer questions:**

**lilianneherondale: No, The Vow isn't sad, I just cry a lot in movies. XD**

**MonkeyChick27: Hmm...I do have the whole plot line sorted out, just adding little details here and there. I'm not really sure just how long it's going to be because I want to get the plot just right. But I have many chapters already written out, so no worries about writer's block! And, I have break next week, so I'll be updating like, 24/7.**

**Here's the story! **

**Max POV**

Fang was surprisingly nice. I mean, I originally thought he would have one of those oh-look-at-me-I'm-so-perfect attitudes, because even I had to admit it, this guy was hot. You did not just hear that from me. Oh look! Squirrel! We actually had a lot in common, though. When LAR ended, I said goodbye to Fang and went to gather my books, I saw my tablemates staring at me.

"Fang..." Tess started.

"...never talked..." Sam couldn't finish.

"...that much in his life before." Iggy's mouth was wide open.

"Yeah, really!" Tess grinned. "How'd you do that? Do you have this secret charming ability? Because his fan girls can't even coax him to say a word, and there you are, friends with him already! Hey, can you hang out after school? Ella's also coming. Just like a girl's party." She looked pointedly at Iggy and Sam. "Do NOT try to eavesdrop again. Last time, they used a grappling hook and climbed to the window." She rolled her eyes. "Meet me at my locker!" She waved, dragging Sam along with her.

In Home Ec, Ella and I were partners, and Fang and Iggy also were. But, they got assigned to a table all the way across the room.

"So, is there anything about the school you haven't told me about yet?" I asked as I grabbed a cloth napkin from the middle of the table. Today we were learning "the art of napkin folding." Yes, of course I wanted to be professional napkin folder when I grew up. I also wanted to dance naked in the streets and own pet rats. This course was absolutely ridiculous. Who's going to use this information when they grow up?

"Well," Ella said. "There are dances every once in a while. Like as in the Halloween Masquerade that's coming up. There's also others, like the end-of-the-year formal." She looked wistful for a moment, staring across the room at a laughing Iggy. She snapped back into it though, and quickly said, "From the way you dress, Max, I can tell dances aren't really your thing. But sometime or other, I will come to your house and get you ready for school. And, I'll make sure you attend every one of those dances. Can't you tell that just about every guy here has a crush on you? And it's barely your first day!"

I could only stare at her like she was some sort of deranged mutant. "Why-why would guys crush on me? They usually go after Maya. I don't dress all fancy, I don't care what people think of me, and I don't even try!"

To be honest, I think it's your personality. I mean, I don't think you noticed, but I'm in your homeroom." Ella glared at her bundle of a napkin. "What I'm saying is, that the way you walked into homeroom, it was confident, short and sweet, and I guess that's the way guys like it here." She shrugged, looking across the room.

"Oh shut up," I said. "Iggy likes YOU! I can just tell."

"See, short and to the point, but strangely comforting." Ella brightened up a bit. I smirked.

**Maya POV**

I couldn't wait to get to French. I mean, not really. Like, BORING? But, at least I could finally get a chance to talk to Lissa. I told her all about LAR, about how Max stole my seat, and how she manipulated Fang into defending her, and she looked as disgusted as I was. "Fang almost NEVER talks, to carry on a conversation is like, having pigs fly."

I groaned. This wasn't going the way I had planned. AT ALL. By now, Fang should have been worshipping the ground I walked on, but somehow, he seemed to have the hots for Max.

"You have no idea if he likes Max or not." Lissa tried. "He might just find her...interesting. Besides, you'll have so many more oppurtunities. I mean, you're already popular. And, every once in a while, there's a big dance, and Max doesn't seem like the type to go. You should so come over before the dances, especially to end-of-the-year-formal, to get ready and everything. I have the awesomest makeup collection, not to brag or anything."

I felt a little better after that. The dances seemed fun. And I was so glad that Max wasn't in my French class. I seriously couldn't handle all the drama that she causes.

The teacher, Mr. Nelson, was so boring. He just droned on and on, and to top it off, he looked like a lump of mud. Dirt brown khakis, dirt brown shirt, and oh look! Dirt brown shoes. When he dressed in all the same colors, it wasn't hot like Fang's all black attire, it was just like he tried way too hard. And it was weird.

After class was over, I headed to science with Tiffany. She told me that she would find another lab partner and that I should snag the seat next to Fang. But when I got there, he was already sitting with Max! Oh, game on, sis.

**Max POV**

Iggy, oh Iggy, why did you have to be in another class? I found a decent seat, near the windows, where the teacher couldn't see me very well. And I was READING. Reading so I wouldn't have to stare awkwardly at people and things I didn't know. Well, if a very friendly container of hand sanitizer came up to me and said how do you do, then, well, that's a different story.

As I was hopelessly bored trying to get through the first sentence of Jane Eyre, Fang came up to me. "Is this seat taken?"

"It will be if you sit down," I pulled out the chair.

He sat down. "Good book?"

I groaned. "No. My mom's making me read it. She thinks that it'll, um, help tame my free spirit."

Fang smirked. "What's it about?"

"I have absolutely no idea. I'm still stuck on the first sentence."

Fang and I were talking when Maya came in and saw us. I could see her eyes darken as she marched over. "GET. OUT." She seethed, trying to pull me out of my chair.

I smiled brightly. "Love you!" I got the response I wanted. Maya had her mouth wide open, completely and utterly confuzzled. Mouth still gaping, but with eyes like a snake's, she slowly and robotically turned around and sat down next to this girl with ice blond hair.

Fang laughed, and people stared at him strangely. His laugh was deep and rather loud, and it wasn't a smirk or a half smile, but a full grin. It was kind of weird, but sweet in a way. "What kind of comeback was that?" he asked.

"It works every time," I said. "You've heard of the saying before, love your enemies?" When he nodded, I continued. "Well, a good friend of mine once said that if you don't love who you hate, you can't move on from all the hate. By loving them anyway, even if they don't deserve it, you owe it to yourself to forgive them and be happy. Besides, it confuses them."

Fang became all serious again. "That was deep," he smirked.

"Oh shut up, Fangles, I can be all emotional sometimes."

"Fangles?"

I punched him in the arm. Hadn't he ever heard of a good nickname before? But I was worried. I never opened up to people like that. **(A/N: BTW, thanks to Cassandra Bankson for inspiring me to write about all the hating by loving thing. Check out her Youtube channel DiamondsandHeels14 because she rocks!)**

**Maya POV**

Somehow, I made it through 9th period. I had calmed down a bit and immediately after school, I rushed to Lissa's locker. I had already called my mom to tell her I was coming home late.

"Where to?" I asked, slinging my bag over my shoulder.

"There's this really good coffee shop called The Sunflower, so I guess we'll head there."

And we walked. It was a gorgeous day, sun shining, leaves floating, floating, sinking in pools of fresh air. Once at the shop, Lissa and I flopped down (but ever so gracefully) in a pair of bright orange armchairs. As I sunk into the plush chair, I grabbed a menu and studied it. "What are you getting?"

Lissa smiled slightly. "I have no idea. The stuff here's usually awesome, but the problem is that here in Southern California, it's still warm enough for bikinis. We shouldn't get anything too fattening."

"I'll just have some coffee, then," I decided.

"Same here, Dylan," Lissa added as the waiter took our orders. Dylan was gorgeous. He had really cute shaggy dark blond hair and mysterious blue-green eyes.

"Hey, you're one of the new girls at school! Maya, right?" When I nodded, he said, "I'm Dylan. My parents own this shop, so I guess in celebration of this beautiful girl coming to town, your coffees are on the house. Just for today, though," he winked, and went to prepare our orders.

The minute he was out of earshot, Lissa squealed. "He was so totally into you!"

"You think so?" For a moment, I even forgot about Mr. Tall, Dark, and Silent. But only for a moment. "What about Fang?"

"Oh come on," Lissa rolled her eyes. "What makes you think Dylan isn't just as awesome and maybe even better?"

"You're right," I declared. "I'll make my move now." Dylan came back and set our coffees on the table.

I didn't have to.

Written on the napkin were the words, call me, and a phone number. When I showed Lissa, her eyes widened and smiled. "Did Fang do _that_?" she asked.

"No, I admitted. "But still, something about him intrigues me. So, I'll call Dylan tonight, but stil try to talk to Fang." I sipped my coffee. I wasn't giving up on Fang. Not just yet.

**Max POV**

I met Tess at her locker, as planned. "I already called my mom to tell her I was going to your house," I told her. "I just have to be home by five. Dinner with th neighbors or something."

"Cool," she said as Ella walked up to us. "We were planning to just get to know you better."

Once we got to her house, which was white with adorable blue shutters, we immediately went up to her room. It was pale green, but had this really cool bamboo design going up to side of the walls. The bed was also green, but more of a brighter shade, and had fluffy white throw pillows.

"So," Tess said as she plopped down on her comforter. "Has Ella told you about her massive crush on Iggy yet, or has it just been ridiculously obvious?"

Ella's mouth was gaping. "Tess!"

I smirked. "It has been quite noticeable, Ella, dear. I'm surprised Iggy didn't realize."

Ella sighed. "That's Iggy for ya."

"Come on, I'm sure he likes you too. Just by the way his eyes shine when he's talking to you."

Ella laughed. "You really think so?"

"Positive," I replied. This was kind of strange. I never really talked about guys before. I was usually one of them.

Ella smiled. "Thanks, Max. You know what? You're a pretty cool girl. I now hereby give you permisson to like, date, and marry my brother."

I broke into a coughing fit. "You what?"

**And so the FAX begins! Or, partly so, anyway. Review?**


	6. Making Cookies!

**Before I get to the story, can someone please tell me what they mean when I'm uploading a document and it says there's a life of 60 days, or 56 days? The word life kind of scares me-like its going to self destruct or something. If it is, how can I change it to everlasting?**

**Max POV**

"P-Pardon?" I stammered.

Tess laughed gleefully. "Come on," she said. "You got more words out of him than all of us have in our entire lives. It's a match made in heaven!"

Ella nodded. "And while it's kind of weird, since he's my brother and all, even I think you guys would be wonderful together. Usually I don't approve of whoever he's dating. But this time I do!" She grinned.

"Hey Ella, have you told her about the dances?"

"Yeah. Max, we are SO dressing you up."

I groaned. "Whatever you're doing to me, I don't want to know. Do you have anything to eat?"

Tess waggled her eyebrows. "Sure. Let's go downstairs. Ooh! We can make cookies! I'm going to this boring meeting with my dad tonight and we have to bring a small plate of something."

I winced. "Um, I kind of stink at cooking. I can't even toast a Pop Tart."

"That's okay!" Ella said cheerily. "There'll definitely be something for you to do. Besides, after, we can eat the extras!"

I perked up a bit. "What cookies are we baking?"

"Let's make chocolate chip cookies," Tess decided. "They're one of the easiest, and I think we have all the ingredients."

I gasped when I saw Tess's kitchen. It was HUGE. There was the two oven thing going on too! We got out the ingredients: semisweet chocolate chips, butter, eggs, and all that good stuff. I was in charge of taking out all the measurements. Half a teaspoon baking powder. Huh. That should be easy. I searched the pile of measuring spoons and I found one marked 1 Tbsp. Close enough. I started to pour the baking powder, when my elbow accidentally bumped the refridgerator and a lump of baking powder flew out from the box.

Ella saw me and yelped. "The recipe calls for half a TEASPOON, Max! Not TABLESPOONS!"

Whoops. We all decided that I couldn't measure properly, so I moved to the mixing station with the food processor. SURELY I couldn't mess that up. Boy, were they wrong. I got the flour and baking soda from Tess (properly measured) and proceeded to put them in the metal bucket thing. How the heck do you turn this thing on? I wondered. I finally found the switch and jammed my finger against it, pushing the button to high. But, oh, no, that was too much for the flour to take, because it spewed everywhere, including in my face and hair and down my shirt until Tess turned it off, laughing hysterically.

"Can I just sit here while you guys make the cookies and eat them when you're done?"

So, that's how I came home, flour covered and cookies in my stomach. "Maximum Ride!" My mother gasped when she saw me walk in through the door. "Whatever did you do there?"

"We made cookies," I said sheepishly. "They were good, but not as good as yours."

My mother smiled. "Thanks for the compliment, but go take a shower and change. We have dinner with the Walkers at 6:00," she added sternly.

I walked upstairs to find Maya coming out of the shower. She sneered at me and made a disgusted face. I rolled my eyes. After I finally got all the flour out of my hair, I went up another flight of stairs to my room to change. My room was AWESOME. It was this dark greenish-blue, like the color of the ocean before sunrise. It became darker and darker until it reached the ceiling, which was a swirl of pure black and indigo. My desk was white, but my chair had dark purple cushioning. My bed was black, with purple, blue-green, and white pillows. I also loved the huge, fuzzy, white rug in the center. That rug ruled. The balcony was one of the coolest things I had ever seen. I was lucky to have fast legs and snag it before Maya could. It was white, and curved into a semicircle. It almost touched the neighbors identical balcony, which was kind of weird, so I hoped they were nice.

As I was pulling on a pair of ripped dark wash skinny jeans, I heard obnoxiously loud Rebecca Black music playing from Maya's room. How could she even listen to that stuff? It was hurting my ears. Deafening, actually. I crept into her room and saw her putting gunks of makeup on her face. I took her speakers and smashed them on the ground. It was a good thing those were cheap, otherwise I wouldn't have done it.

"Wha-" Maya turned around. "Max!"

I snickered as I went back to my room. Maya's room made me gag. It had the entire safari on its walls. Zebra, giraffe, cheetah, you name it, she had it. I mean, I guess a couple things animal print wouldn't be so bad, but the whole room? And on top of that, the furniture was a bright pink and neon green. Her room was what I despised most in the entire house. Our new home was sort of like a Victorian mansion, except smaller. At the top, was a cupola (my room) with this balcony sticking out the side. There was fine maroon detailing all over the house.

I went downstairs to the kitchen. My mom gave me a look. "Max, I'm sure you have _something_ nicer than that. This is a big dinner! It'll determine whether we can borrow butter and eggs from them or not!"

"Butter and eggs?" But, I went back upstairs with her.

"Let's see," she said, fishing through my closet. "Ooh! I didn't know you had this!" She held up a pale rose pink dress with thin straps. From the waist down was a faint rose-like print in a darker shade of pink. It went down to a few inches above the knees.

I groaned. "I wish I didn't. That one has a corset."

"But you have a thin waist," my mom reassured me. "Now shut up and put it on." She squealed like a little girl when I came out with the dress on. "Oh Max! You look gorgeous!" She then made me put on a pair of nude ballet flats and put my hair in a loose braid.

"No makeup," I ordered.

"Fine," she sighed, and stuck a thin headband into my hair. "Perfect," she declared. "Now you can go downstairs. MAYA! You done yet?"

I rolled my eyes and grudgingly made my way downstairs. I felt incredibly uncomfortable, but at least the dress wasn't too scratchy. I sat down in the kitchen, and waited. Maya usually took _forever._

**Maya POV**

I can't believe Max smashed my speakers.

I was only trying to get ready for the dinner! I couldn't help but wonder who our neighbors were, but my mom wouldn't tell me. Ugh. I really hoped it wasn't some loser, because I spent a lot of time on my outfit just in case it wasn't. I was wearing this tight strapless black dress with silver sparkles going up the side. I accessorized with a big silver bangle and 4 inch heels. I was just putting on false eyelashes when I heard footsteps. My mom was ordering Max to put on something decent. I groaned. Whenever Max put on something nice, she outshone me, and everyone complimented her. Oh, Max, you're so pretty! they would say. Stupid people. The gorgeous one's over here, you know!

Stupid Max. Now, because of her, all my efforts were wasted. Mom was surely dressing her up. I sighed and finished my makeup then went downstairs to see Max waiting. I didn't want to admit it, but Mom did a good job. Max looked pretty. Ugh.

**Max POV**

I almost threw up when I saw Maya. Her dress was basically a shirt-it was so short you could practically see her entire butt. And, she was wearing entirely too much makeup. She looked like a fish.

I smiled when I saw my mom though. She was dressed in a form-fittng dark purple long sleeved dress that went to her knees. She had on a simple pearl necklace and matching earrings, and on her feet were a pair of black heels. "Let's go," she said excitedly. As we walked next door, I couldn't help but feel awkward. But who wouldn't, anyway? I might be stuck talking about politics the entire dinner, or even worse, be babysitting a badly spoiled child. I took a good look at the house. It was white, with flower beds next to the windows and the same white balcony sticking out that almost touched mine. They were so close together you could literally climb from one house to another.

As Maya rushed to ring the doorbell, I heard a loud clatter from the inside. A familiar voice shouted, "Shut up, Fang, I'll get it!" Wait...Fang? Who else was named Fang? That meant...the voice was Ella...and they were our neighbors. I kind of felt stupid after that.

**Love it? Hate it? Whichever one you choose, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! The dinner comes next and I'll update sooner if you review!**


	7. Dinner

**Awww! You guys are the best! I WAS going to update later, like, in a couple of days, but I woke up to see so many reviews and story alerts and favorites...YOU GUYS ROCK. Seriously. So, I'll just post another chapter! **

**BTW-ANYBODY about the life thing? ANYBODY? When you upload a new chapter in the column it says life of _ days. It scares me! ANYBODY?**

**Maya POV**

Yes! My luck has turned! I was so excited to see Fang (and even his nerdy sister) at the door. I was meeting the family already! He looked so cute in his black jeans and black dress shirt. He went shoeless, only wearing his socks, but there was a dog at his feet. A scruffy, small black dog. What were those called, again? A shaggy dog? A Swiss dog? No...Swiss was a type of cheese...

I gave him a wink as I went in.

"Oh hello!" Fang's parents came to greet us. "It's so wonderful to meet you Valencia!" His mother smiled cheekily, showing a dimple.

"It's nice to meet you too," my mom smiled back. "These are my two daughters, Maya and Max."

"Oh, I know Max," Ella chimed in. "I can't believe you dressed up, Max! I love your dress!"

And, there the compliments for my sister started.

**Max POV**

Ella. Fang. Neighbors. It was great, of course, but Ella. Oh no. It was positive she would dress me up tomorrow, knowing the only thing separating her and accomplishment was a door. All throughout the dinner, I her talking to my mom, sharing knowing looks and glancing at me. They were talking earnestly, and she had on a smirk that I just wanted to rub off her face, and my mom had this evil glint in her eye. I could only eat my potatoes in meek silence as I heard Fang's mother talking about how she delivered Fang in a cab.

"Oh," she said, her hands gesturing wildly, "it was a stressful day, very stressful, I had a conference with Luxembourg in one ear, and a meeting with Thailand in the other. I hailed a taxi, and BAM! Fang popped out! After all the mayhem was over, the cab driver, sweet old man he was, came up to me to wish me well wishes. And do you know what Fang did? He tried to bite the driver's finger off! 'My, my,' the man said, 'grew you fangs already?', and he's been called Fang ever since." She looked fondly at Fang. "But, of course we named Ella something more normal. She was named after my sister, dear child, after my sister rescued her from a biting dog. Oh!"

"Something wrong?" Fang whispered.

"Oh, just look at those two," I stared at Ella and my mom.

"Planning your fate already? Those two really hit it off!"

I winced. "If I come to school tomorrow in heels, blame it on your sister."

"I'll do that," he replied, smiling slightly. He was interrupted my Maya, though, who was desperately trying to get him to talk.

Figuring no one was listening to her animated converation with herself, Fang's mother turned to me. "Your name is Max, right?"

I nodded. "It's short for Maximum. My mom named me. She wanted me to be strong. Maya was all my dad's."

"Well, I like Maximum. It's such a unique name, and Max is a wonderful nickname. I thought about naming Ella Max, but then her _dad _thought against it." She glared at him playfully. "But what was that about your father?"

"Oh, Maya was like his perfect child. It was like he knew at our naming that I would be the one who caused trouble, made a mess, while Maya would sit back and help him around the house and sneer at me. So, he named her Maya, after his secret girlfriend. We found out about it after his death, he died of lung cancer from smoking too much, but my mom was okay about it. She's cool like that."

_Flashbock _

_Why? Why did he die? I was so confused. I didn't like my dad, not one bit, but he didn't seem like a bad person. He was always caring for Maya, and making me do dirty work, so I shouldn't shed tears anyway. But why?_

_As I got off the bus, I looked at a clearing between two bushes. Just small enough for me to fit through. I dashed, so no one could see me. Through the bushes, and into the large woods behind our school. I needed time to think; I didn't care if it was school time or not. I dropped my backpack in awe. Everyone said the woods were dangerous, but not me. I walked slowly, aimlessly, until I reached a small stream next to a large tree that towered over all the others. I leaned against it, until my eyes spotted an object lodged in between the roots of the tree and the cattails that lined the water bank. I pulled, hard, and slowly wedged the object out. I didn't know why it was significant, my insticts just told me to pull. _

_It was a glass bottle, a note inside. I smiled, as I pulled the cork out. I had heard about these things. People would set them off to sea, with a letter in it, hoping someone would find them. Inside, instead of a story, were many sheets of blank paper. They seemed age-old, all yellow and worn, and when I flipped to the bottom of the stack, a couple of sheets were filled. I read slowly. The first story was a confession of how this old lady killed her son. That was just messed up. The next story was about a fairytale, about a newly wed that sent the bottle off on their wedding day. _

_At the bottem of it, in neat handwriting, were the words,_

'_Dear Friend that finds this,_

_We believe in magic. We first found this bottle when we needed it most, after a bad fight we thought we never would get through. We both walked upon a stream with a large oak tree next to it, and saw a bottle wedged between the roots and the cattails that lined the water bank. And now, look, we're married and truly happy. That first story might have been messed up, but the grandma used it when she needed it most. And on top of that, she was thoughtful. She included paper for others! So, reader, please keep this bottle in a safe place. When you need it, it'll come to your aid. Just put it back where you found it, with a new story for people to find._

_Much Love,_

_Lydia and Will'_

_I put the papers back, wishing Lydia and Will a very happy marriage. I stuck the bottle in my backpack and rushed back home. _

_I saw my mom standing there, smirking. "Fun day at school?"_

"_Um, yeah, we, uh, made fractions! I mean, cards!"_

"_It's okay, I called the school to tell them you were sick. I used to skip school all the time! And I think you needed it, you know." She looked at me, all serious. "I found something, Max. I was looking through your dad's old stuff, I was ready to get divorced anyway, I just thought you needed a dad. Your-your dad cheated, Max. He had another girlfriend. One named Maya."_

_And so I kept the bottle, stowing it away in my room, never telling anyone about it, but it was always inthe back of my mind. Sometimes, after a bad day, I would think to myself about how it was time, but then I shook my head. When it really was time, there would be no doubts. _

I sighed, snapping myself back into reality. Fang's mother was staring at me with concern. "You okay, honey?"

"Yeah! I was just, um, thinking."

"I'm so sorry about your dad."

"It's alright, I didn't really care for him anyway."

"Well then! If you don't mind me saying, CHEATING? Really? How dreadful of your dad! I could never imagine! And naming your sister after his girlfriend! How awful! Almost as messed up as a grandmother killing her son!"

_Strange, _I thought.

As we finished dinner, Fang's mom got up. "Thank you so much for coming, we had a wonderful time, didn't we Will?"

Fang's dad nodded.

"Well, thank you so much for having us, Lydia and Will, it was really great," my mom gushed.

"Wh-wait- what were their names?" I rushed to catch up with my mom.

"Lydia and Will? What about them?" She opened the front door.

"Oh-n-nothing." I dashed up to my room, and looked at the bottle hidden deep in my closet. It was still lacking a letter; I didn't need it quite yet.

I dialed Nudge's number. I had promised her I would call.

"Maxie! How are you? Do you like your school? Is it nice? Guess what? Nevermind, I'll tell you. I can visit you over Thanksgiving break in what, three weeks? Angel probably can come too, she just has to ask. I have to see your new house and neighborhood and everything! It'll be so much fun! And, I'll get to meet your friends, too! The only downer is that I have to come with _Brigid._ She's just so annoying! But, then again, that makes sense that she's friends with Maya." She finally stopped to take a breather.

"You're comng to visit? That's great!" I was seriously excited. "I made some new friends too! I think you'll like them. They're about as fashion-obsessed as you are." I rolled my eyes. I talked to her for a bit. After I hung up, I sighed. First day was over, I thought. I went to brush my teeth and changed into a big old T-shirt. I never wore my dad's clothes, though. I was never close with him. He died when I was ten.

**So, how'd everyone like the dinner? R&R? Please? I spent a lot of time on this chappie! Besides, it leads into a subplot. REVIEW!**


	8. The Unwilling Makeover Victim

**Thanks for the review, guys! And a big thank you to blueberryoreo and JustaBunchaHOOPLA for telling me about the uploading thing!**

**Max POV**

It seemed I had just put my head on my pillow when my Mickey Mouse alarm clock started beeping. In one swift movement, I hit the button without looking. I'm just awesome like that. Then, ice cold water hit my face.

"Wha-wha?" I stammered, only to see Ella grinning menacingly above me and the balcony doors open wide. I walked towards it, and as I went to close the doors, I saw Fang. That must be his room with the balcony. And Fang was shirtless. I tried not to look at his perfectly chiseled torso and focused on what he was saying. Then I realized I was all soggy and in an unfitting T-shirt. _Shut up, Max_, I thought. _Why the heck do you care anyway? This is ridiculous. FOCUS!_ I shut myself up.

Good luck, he was mouthing.

"Wait, why would I need that?" I yelled back. But then something clicked and my eyes widened. I turned back to Ella. She normally wouldn't have been able to lock me in my closet, but the element of surprise was on her side. And Tess had magically appeared.

"Change," they demanded. They handed me a pair of white shorts, a gray cardigan, and a STRAPLESS black pinstriped shirt with three small buttons at the top and gray and red ruffled edging. Did I mention it was strapless?

"GUYS! I can't wear this!" I shouted, half hysterical. My closet was too small, and I hated tight spaces. "Guys!"

"Max, we're not letting you out until you change into those clothes!"

"Fine," I grudgingly changed and barged out of the closet, gasping for air. "Am I done now?"

Before I could react, they quickly tied me to a chair. A FREAKING CHAIR.

"Now," Tess said gleefully. "We made a deal with your mom that we could dress you up every day, or no chocolate chip cookies for you!"

"Mom! How could you do this to me?"

"Because you look cute," she popped her head in the door and winked.

"Don't move," Tess warned. "Let's see, Ella, should we curl?"

"I'm thinking we should keep her hair the way it is, but maybe straighten a few strands to make it super straight."

After they did my hair, they managed to get some mascara and bronzer on me. But lip gloss was a big no-no. I hated that sticky stuff. I squirmed to the best of my ability, and at last, they just gave me fruity tinted lip balm. VICTORY. Shoes were another thing, though. They first wanted me to wear heels, but then decided to work their way up slowly. I could wear my converse for now.

"Yay!" Ella exclaimed. "You look hot! I'm so glad we get to do this everyday!" She high fived Tess, who strung a silver necklace with a key around my neck. Oh, no. I couldn't bear this everyday. I felt like my shirt was falling off.

**Maya POV**

Yesterday night, I talked to Brigid. She told me that she had a couple tips for me. Tip #1 was to pretend to accidentally bump into him and drop your books. She also told me that she was visiting over break and I got so excited I forgot to tell her Fang's name. Oh well. Whoops. (**A/N: Pay lots of attention to that detail. It becomes important later on!)** Today I dressed in a hot pink halter top and denim shorts. When I came downstairs, I saw that mom had dragged in two hobos to dress up Max.

"Oh, thank you Ella and Tess," she gushed. "Max, you have great legs!" And there sat Max, looking uncomfortable and unbearably pretty. I clenched my jaw in disgust.

**Max POV**

When I got to school, everyone was staring. Stupid people. LOOK AWAY! Didn't your mothers ever tell you it was rude to stare? And they were all whispering stuff like, "Isn't she the new girl from yesterday?" and "When did she become a model?". I hated all the attention. For some reason, it just bothered me. In homeroom, when all the guys whistled, I snarled at them and gave them my best death glare. And let me tell you, it's intimidating. Most of the boys shirked off. But not one.

"Hey pretty!" he yelled. When I stared him down, he just grinned. "Feisty, eh? That's just how I like them! My name's Dylan!"

"Now, now class," Ms. Murphy said calmly. "It's no time for talking. Today's my meditating day." She was sitting atop her desk, her orange hair blowing with this aritificial wind machine. She closed her eyes and hummed. Dylan rolled his eyes but stayed silent. He winked at me. He had shaggy dark blond hair and blue eyes.

I sat down next to Ella and Iggy, but I could feel everyone's eyes on me, looking at me like I was some animal in a cage. I was so glad when homeroom ended, to be able to tromp around in my gym uniform without any stares would be heavenly. I weaved past people to get to the door, when the Dylan guy stopped me. "I'll get that for you, Miss Max," he opened the door for me.

"Thanks," I managed as I raced past him. In my head, I rolled my eyes. What a player, I thought. As I walked into the gym after changing, Sam ran up to me.

"Hey," I said.

"Um, well, hi!" Sam stuttered. "So, I heard about you and Dylan and all."

"Pfft. Yeah, he's trying to be weird, all right."

"Well, just to let you know, um, he's a player, and so, um, falling for him might not be the best idea."

"What are you, my bodyguard?" After he started to apoligize, I grinned. "Thanks for the warning, but I don't trust that easily. If he truly seems to be a nice guy, though, I might give him a try."

Sam still seemed tentative. "Al-alright," he finally said, blushing madly. Sometimes I thought that kid was a bit strange.

Again, today, Ms. Anthony seemed like she was hopped up on steroids. "Alright chipmunks, let's play some pickle ball! Now this game is like a mini tennis." She held out a box of small rackets the size of cereal boxes and a bucket of foam tennis balls. "We're going to play doubles today! Since it's so much like tennis, I guess all I need to explain is the serve! Now, you hold the racket like a Wii controller, and you swing as hard as you can! But, remember, if you hit a window, you're paying for it! I'll pick partners for y'all today. Percy and Annabeth, Katniss and Primrose..." She kept ticking off names from her attendance list. "...Iggy and Ella, Maximum and Fang, Maya and Cole..."

Aww, Ella was failing miserably at hiding her blush. I grinned at Fang. "Let's beat the heck out of these people. They won't know what hit them!"

**Maya POV**

I wasn't even paying attention to pickle ball. My partner was just doing all the work. I was staring at Fang, who was beating the crap out of his opponents. But then I looked over at stupid Max, who just HAPPENED to be partners with Fang. I swear, everyone's plotting against me. Max was grinning at Fang, and he was smiling just as big right back. She was also beating the crap out of everyone, which made them undefeatable.

Ugh. I looked over at my partner, Cole. He was cute, I guess, but no where NEAR Fang. He had dark brown wavy hair and hazel eyes. Huh.

**( A/N: Ooh Ooh! Special POV time!)**

**Ella POV**

I took in the scene around me. Court after massive court filled the gym, four people in each, playing their hardest. Well, some of them. Maya, Max's completely fraternal sister, was lumping around, inspecting her perfectly manicured nails and staring at Fang's abs. I seriously wanted to scream at her being all, "What is wrong with you?", going all diva. I mean, really, I was _right_ in the court next to her, and she had the nerve to drool over my brother?

But at least Max and Fang were partners. Gosh, Tess and I really did do a good job that morning. My life goal has now been switched to getting Max and Fang together. I haven't seen Fang laugh like that in a while, not since Iggy did the worm at a formal dinner four years ago. And, I haven't ever seen that sparkle in his eyes before, only when he talked to Max. Even if neither one of them realized it, especially Max, they belonged together. Oh, look, I'm getting all sappy now.

I was so caught up, I didn't realize that pickle ball that was flying toward me. It was like in slow motion, me getting hit in the head, eyes flying open, staggering like a crazy person until I fell on my butt.

"You okay?" Iggy asked, concerned.

"I-I think I'm fine," I stuttered. "Those things are harder than you think!"

"That's what she said," Iggy smirked as he helped me up. I tried to push a blush down that was rising from my cheeks. I never used to be this way. I used to be completely comfortable around him, but after a year ago, things changed. Last year, something just hit me like a train, but ran away before I could catch it. I realized that I did like him, and everything poured down on me. I've been that way ever since.

I want Max to experience that, something inevitable, everything crashing down upon you, and a light filling up your senses. And I was evermore determined to make that happen. Oh, look the sappiness is coming back.

**Ok, so do you guys like the special POVs? Because I'll start adding them and further developing the story if you do. Oh, for faxloverforever, the bottle is just something Max found when she was wandering in the woods. The letter in it said that whoever found it should keep it for a time when they really needed it, and send it off with a new letter. Does that make an inkling of sense? I'm not very good at explaining things. Review?**


	9. Fall

**Ok...so I'm really sorry if there's any mistakes. It's like, 4 o'clock here, but I had to write this! And, this is the chapter where I kind of speed things up a bit.**

**Max POV**

The day passed quickly enough, and soon I got used to the reality of being a dress-up doll every morning. The stares became less frequent, and I could walk down the halls without feeling like some prize pig. I had even wore heels for a day, which was a huge accomplishment for everyone. It did not end well. Let's just say I came home with a couple of bruises and bacon in my hair.

As summer transitioned into fall, everyone was all excited about the upcoming Halloween Masquerade. People were already starting to figure out their dates and everything. I didn't understand all the excitement. What's the big deal? I was just going with Ella and Tess and Sam and Iggy and Fang and everyone else who I might not have named. The girls had been talking about it nonstop since the posters came out. The dance was probably just like fall. Everyone's ecsatic about it. Oh look! They say. The leaves are changing colors! Oh my! So pretty! And let's go jump in a pile of leaves! But who wants to jump in a pile of dead, soggy leaves all day? Actually, come to think of it, I wouldn't really mind. NOT THE POINT. Who wants to LOOK at dying leaves all day? That's how I felt about dances. The posters made it seem fun. But in reality, everything depended on the decorations committee. Most of the time, a bunch of people were stuck in a sweaty gym with the occasional good cup of punch. That was it.

"Max, the dances are awesome," Ella said, pulling random things out of my closet. "It's not even going to be in the gym anyway. It's going to be in the East Wing!"

"Wait, the East Wing?" I had been there, and it was seriously shnazzy. It was basically this huge hall for all the art and music related things, so there were murals, statues, paintings-our school was big on art.

"And even if that doesn't tempt you, you're going anyway. Hey, what's this?" She asked, pulling the glass bottle out. How in the world did she find that? It was hidden deep in my closet!

"It's, um, " I had no choice but to tell her. So, I did, from beginning to end. "I don't even know why, but somehow, it's really special to me," I finished.

"Oh, it's so romantic!" Ella gasped, looking at the bottle. "Can I open it?"

"Sure," I said. "But, I have to ask you something. Your parents-did they have their honeymoon in New York?"

"I think so," Ella was reading the letter. "OMG, do you think-my parents?"

I nodded. "But can you not tell them? I just have this gut feeling it's better if they find out on their own. Besides, it could just be a huge coincidence."

"Oh, Maxie's being all psychic!"

"Shut up!" I thwacked her with a pillow.

Suddenly, Maya popped in. Ella, bottle in hand, dove into the pile of clothes to hide it. "Hey!" My sister said, a little to perkily to be entirely innocent. "Ooh, cute tee, Ells!" She twirled her hair.

"What do you want?" I asked, suspicious.

"Oh, um, nothing! I was just wondering if, um, I could borrow your, um, sunglasses!" She laughed awkwardly.

"It's raining," I pointed out.

"Well, forget about the sunglasses. I haven't caught up with you in a while, Max! Anything you want to tell me?"

"Um, not really. Now, Ella and I are in the middle of something, so we'd appreciate it greatly if you left." And I closed the door.

"What was that about?" Ella asked.

"I have no idea. She was acting really strange."

"Well, I seriously think you should be a swan. I didn't know you had this!" She held up a white ribbed dress with ruffles.

"No thanks," I winced. "That dress is way too short on me. You should wear it."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I'll just be a pumpkin or something."

Ella looked appalled. "No! We'll find a wonderful dress!" After what seemed like years of searching, she finally found a deep blue haltered dress with a sweetheart neckline. "You," she said, "are officially wearing this." I had reluctantly put it on, still not believing the awesome dance concept, but now, there was no going back.

"So," she asked slyly. "Thinking of asking Fang?"

"What?"

"I still think you guys would be awesome together. And, you have gotten closer."

It was true. Fang was my best friend. By far. But, more like an older brother, not a potential boyfriend. We would joke around and play pranks on each other. That type of close.

**Maya POV**

Ugh. I had just made a fool of myself. At least I had gotten what I wanted. Blackmail. Or some sort of it, anyway. It was a beautiful word, a beautiful concept. I just couldn't wait until the dance. I was going to Lissa's house to find a dress for the masquerade. Apparently, she had tons of spare dresses. When I got there, I took a good look at her house. It was MASSIVE, about the size of twice my house. It was brick, with an arch for a door, and plenty of ivy growing up the side.

Once Lissa answered the door, we went to her closet. It was a walk-in, and lavishly decorated with different patterns of pink. Heavenly.

"So," Lissa decided. "I was thinking of wearing this." She held up a simple black dress that went up to her knees and a peacock mask.

"I like it," I said, doubtfully though, because it was really billowy, and not tight enough.

"Great," she said. "Now, let's pick for you."

After much deliberation, I finally went with a long sleeved one shoulder ribbed purple dress that went to the middle of my thigh. I decided to carry a rather big bag.

**Ok, I know this was super super short, but the next chapter is the dance, so drama will be assured! PLEASE REVIEW!**


	10. The Masquerade

**I've been reading this really awesome series called Sammy Keyes. It's seriously amazing. So, I'm just sitting around, eating dark-chocolate covered pomegranate seeds and reading like crazy. But I'm still writing! And...this is where the title and summary come into play, so...**

**Maya POV**

The door clicked shut. Perfect. Max was finally gone. At her stupid friend Ella's house the 'prepare' for the dance tonight. As if. She's probably just going to be chewing on bacon or something the whole time. Not my problem. But, if Fang was there, suffering because of her unladylike self, then maybe it _was_ my problem...Whatever.

I grinned as I went up the stairs to Max's room. I had decided to let everything fly at the dance; I had my friends' support then. And can anybody say more drama? Please. That's what I _live _for.

I crept in, making sure to keep quiet. I opened her closet, and started searching. I finally found a worn glass bottle at the very back. Just what I was looking for. Bottle tucked under my arm, I started to head back to my room. Part one of mission, complete.

I grabbed my stuff: big black bag, cellphone, and everything else I might possibly need. That's a code word for everything in my room. I hurried to Lissa's house to prepare for the dance. We only had three hours to do everything, so we had to be extremely efficient. Whenever Max tries to dress up, she only takes three mintues, which is probably why so always looks so ugly. I had gotten used to all the attention she was getting, so now it was my turn to make my own.

**Max POV**

I have never yawned so much in my entire life. Not even in Home Ec. when we had to spend and entire period listening to the history of the hankerchief.

It was the night of the dance, and I was at Ella's house. She instructed me to be there at precisely 4:45, no later, so being the good friend I am, I went. I didn't get the point though. Why spend so much time dressing up? She and Tess were doing their hair while I sat down on her bed. The pale yellow walls were so comforting and the pillow was so fluffy...

I guess I drifted off because I remembered Ella shaking me by the shoulders. "Max-Max! Get up!"

I groggily sat up, and saw Ella and Tess fully decked out in their gowns and holding masks in their gloved hands. Ella's swan mask matched her dress, and Tess had on a dark red layered dress with fine black lace detailing and a mask of the same color and pattern. After interrupting me from my nap, the two of them practically put me through a speedy beauty boot camp. They made me walk up and down the stairs in heels and with a book on my head! Was this really necessary?

I finally finished getting ready. We left everything the way it was-we were coming back for a sleepover-and Ella's mom drove us to the dance. The guys didn't come with us because we had set up a little friendly competition. Since it was basically a requirement to wear masks, whoever recognized the others first wouldn't have to give them a back rub. I was assigned to the task of recognizing Fang. Ella, Tess, and I split up to different parts to seek out the guys.

Wow. I was completely wrong. Apparently, the dance decoration committee had gone all out. The punch was BEAST. And ooh! They had cookies! And...the decorations were pretty awesome. There were all kinds of theatrical masks hanging from the walls, and everything was dimly lighted. The food was set on this table that seemed to be on fire. I looked around me. For some reason, I couldn't find a super tall guy with black hair. He was my best friend. How hard could it be? But every guy looked the same. And the cookies were really distracting. They were staring me right in the eye, saying _eat me, eat me_, which was kind of creepy, but still. I gave in to tempatation. I grabbed a couple and tasted them. Hmmm, crunchy, on the outside, soft and gooey on the inside, but not enough vanilla. I was being an awesome critic, if I do say so myself, when I felt a light tap on my shoulder.

"Hey Ells, did you find Ig-" I turned around to see a tall guy with a black half mask on and a long cape draped over his tuxedo. In his hand was a single pure black rose, as dark as the midnight sky.

He handed it to me. "Looks like you owe me a massage," he smirked.

"FANG DAMN IT!" I pulled off his mask and laughed. I took the rose. "Thank you. But black? Really?"

"He shrugged. "So-ah-" he was interrupted by Ella and Iggy.

"I got him!" she cackled. "I. Got. Him!"

Tess and Sam joined us. "Who won?" Iggy asked, still pretending to sulk. I just knew he was doing it to make Ella smile.

"I did." Sam grinned. "Hey Max, are the cookies good?"

"Yeah, they're alright. Not enough vanilla, though."

"What are you a food critic?" Fang laughed.

"What are you, a people critic?"

**Tess POV**

As a slow dance came on, I sat down. This guy Dylan was at the mic, singing. He wasn't half bad. "Want to ask someone?" I whispered.

"Iggy? Oh no!" Ella shook her head. "Not yet. No."

I shrugged. Eventually. The funny thing about Ella was that she was a hopeless romantic, trying to play matchmaker for Fang and Max, when she couldn't even talk to the guy who liked her properly. Heck, she didn't even know he liked her!

My eyes widened in surprise. Dylan slid off his chair on the stage as he made his way toward Max. I could hear girls sighing, wishing that it was them he was approaching. I sat there, as confused as Iggy, who was munching a caramel apple in disbelief. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw Fang and Sam tense up, but I wasn't sure. Dylan handed a red rose to Max, and pulled her out onto the dance floor.

"She-she promised-she promised she wouldn't!" Sam faltered. Since when did Sam have a crush on Max? Oh, we have some _problems_ here.

Max took Dylan's hand and shrugged. She came back to us, acting all cool. "What?" she asked, "It's not like I'm actually falling for him, don't worry."

**Maya POV**

This dance was awesome. The girls and I were on the dance floor, but not, it was time for my plan. I had a little something in store for Max.

I got the bottle out from Max's room. I didn't know what was so special, but then I read the contents, and there were some interesting things that Max wouldn't want to lose. I smiled to myself. "Ok, Lissa, I'm ready!" I chirped. I made my way over to Max.

**Ella POV**

I watched the awful, the terrible, unfold before my eyes. Oh, shield it from my eyes, the pain is shooting an arrow through my heart, shattering it into a million pieces, forever burdening my soul! I was hurting more than Max right now. Max didn't realize her love for Fang yet. But I did. Maya. First Dylan, now Maya. Oh, don't you just lock me in a wooden closet infested with flies for the rest of my life!

"Could I talk to Max for a moment, please?" She asked smoothly, a voice filled with fake sugar crystals, clogging her true self.

"Sure?" Max seemed doubtful, but followed her anyway. That's when Tess and I decided to follow the two. We couldn't leave our friend alone with her ruthless sister. There was something fishy going on.

Maya lead Max to a quiet corner before taking a long-necked glass bottle out of her bag. Sabotage! I wanted to yell, but my voice was gone. It was all a horrible nightmare. That was so special to Max. Recently, she had written her journal in there. I didn't read them, but the way she talked about it, those papers and bottle meant a lot. It was a way to write her thoughts down in a no longer safe place.

Maya held it with he fingertips, dangling it precariously over a table with a spilled drink on it. The bright pink drink contaminating the table's mahogany color was like my heart being filled slowly with poisen. "So," she purred. "I've noticed this is so very important to you, dear sister. Wouldn't it be just awful if you lost it forever? If I just so accidentally dropped it and the paper soaked up this drink like a towel?"

"Give. It. Back." Max whispered hoarsely, trying to snatch the bottle from her grasp.

"Oh, but no," Maya taunted, gripping it tighter. Lissa and her cronies appeared my her side as a crowd started to form. Ohnoohnoohno...crowds were bad..."No, no, no Maxie, don't you understand? Don't you know? _Nothing _in life comes for free."

"What do you mean? What do you want?" Max snapped.

Maya smiled and lowered her voice so only Max and the two girls hiding under the cart of cleaning supplies could hear. "What I mean, is that for this bottle that's oh so very precious to you, I demand a price. I want to be Fang's girlfriend. And, if, if I'm not, oh, Maxie, let's just say this bottle will have a very important meeting with the table." That's when my jaw went slack and I leaped out of the cleaning supplies, bottles of Clorox crashing down on the floor. I couldn't let this happen to my forever couple.

**Max POV**

In the serious atmosphere, I couldn't help but chuckle when Ella flew out of the cart and glared at Maya. She tried snatching the bottle from Maya, but my sister just tsked. "Oh, Ella, don't you know already? Eavesdropping is a shameful habit. And this isn't your battle. If you try, in any way, I will read the contents of the papers before dropping them. I'm sure that's not what Max wants, hm?"

My eyes widened. Maya hadn't read them, had she? I had written-written everything in there. Huh. I should have expected this. But, of course, I was stupid and followed Maya. Now, I was faced with the possible guilt of having to convince my best friend to date an awful person or letting a personal treasure get destroyed before my very eyes. Maya truly disgusted me.

I disgusted myself. Who was I, a supposed best friend, to tell Fang that he had to date _Maya_? But then again, why would it matter? Fang could pretend to like Maya, and dump her, and be completely fine! So why was I so utterly disraught? I felt like the was a huge lump in my throat. I wasn't even a romantic. What was wrong with me? But, I couldn't. I couldn't see what I had protected from my sister for so long just leave my grasp forever. I sighed, and glared at Maya. "I'll do it."

**Did you see Max's slight feelings for Fang? She doesn't realize it, though. I'm just slowly adding Fax in. Sorry if I didn't succeed in making this chapter the best one ever. But, I tried really really hard, so Review for effort? Please?**


	11. The Day After

**Stupid homework is just filling up my days...**

**Ok...so I know I'll stink completely at this, but I'm going to TRY to do some special Fang POV somewhere in the chappie. To tell the truth, I hadn't really thought about, so thanks to NotLoggedIn! Please no flames if it bombs! Well, actually there would be flames if something explodes, right? Nevermind.**

**Fang POV**

Everyone was acting kind of weird. First it was Ella, who ever since Max moved here has waggled her eyebrows at me, has had her head down in her breakfast for what has seemed like hours. When she lifted her head to look at me, her forehead was covered with egg. "Something wrong?" I asked cautiously, sliding into my seat across from her.

"N-no! Nothing at all! Nope!" She said quickly, and hurried off most likely to change. My sister's hair looked kind of like a raccoon, if you stared hard enough and tilted your head at just the right angle. The night before was the dance, and Tess and Max stayed over. They were supposed to go to sleep at eleven, but they must have forgotten about school the next day and stayed up all night. Ella had dark circles under her eyes and her face looked kind of gray.

Last night was...interesting. When Dylan asked Max to dance, I had an awful feeling in my gut, like a duck was quacking in its face or something. I was't quite sure what it was, though. Iggy was elbowing me the whole time and was whispering stuff like, "Dude!" and grinning at me like I was left out of an inside joke.

And when Maya held up the bottle and whispered into Max's ear, I couldn't shake off the feeling that they were talking about me. Maya kept stealing glances in my direction, but I wasn't in hearing distance to hear what she was so excited about. I mean, I don't really know Maya, but she seems a little...in your face. But then again, she was Max's sister, so she couldn't be all that bad, could she? Max was acting all serious, but when Ella popped out of a cart of cleaning supplies, she almost cracked up. Then she got all serious again, and I could see Ella's heart drop when she said, "I'll do it."

I was thinking all this as I was pouring myself some Lucky Charms. Let's see, I got a four leaf clover, a horseshoe, I was sorting through them when Max walked in, yawning in her pajamas. She looked at me like a deer caught in headlights, and cautiously said, "Morning."

What was she so nervous about? She never acted like this. "Morning to you too."

She just stared at me, but finally said, "What do you think of my sister?"

"What?" I asked through a mouthful of cereal.

"You know," Max was looking in the refridgerator. "Do you like her? Even if you don't, you know, um, you never know if you'll end up liking her or not. I mean, no harm in taking chances right? So, if you ask her out, you might end up really liking who she is and I don't know maybe you'll get married?" She laughed awkwardly and grabbed a carton of orange juice and the bag of bagels as she hurried out of the room. I pondered over what she said, and realized it wasn't such a bad idea, afterall. I mean, why not?

**Max POV**

Oh, stupid me. My tongue just went blahhh as I basically told Fang exactly what went down the night before. I didn't think he noticed, though. I just appeared to act strange. Bagels and orange juice in hand, I rushed back to Ella's room. She pounced. "What happened?"

Yesterday night, Ella went kind of psycho. She started growling at a bush and yelled at her lamp, screaming, "Maya! What is WRONG with you? Are you funny in the head? Were you dropped as a baby? How messed up can you be?" So, yeah, psycho. She calmed down after mulitating an entire carton of dulce de leche ice cream and decided to talk.

_Flashback_

"_I can't believe her!" Ella groaned, flopping down on her bed. She gave me a pointed look. "Any ideas?"_

_Tess jumped in. "Well, if they belong together like you say they do, then Fang can just go out with Maya and break up with her."_

"_But-but-" Ella sighed. "But what happens if he does fall for her? I mean, it is a possibiliy, right?" _

"_Yeah, but then they don't belong together then, do they?" _

_The two of them were talking as if I wasn't even there. "Guys! What are you talking about? I don't like Fang, he doesn't like me! We're just FRIENDS. What don't you get about that?"_

_Ella shook her head. "No, you can't just stay friends. I'm positive about that. You don't even realize your love for Fang yet, so you shouldn't be talking! Besides, he's my _brother_. I can't let him date that witch!" _

"Well, I put out the suggestion, but then I ran away."

"So, you didn't stay to hear his opinion?" Ella was chewing on her nails. "And WHY did you run away? Are you like Maximum "Charging off" Ride, or something?"

"I guess we'll see today."

Apparently, that wasn't good enough for her because she was fidgeting all morning. When we got to school, she rushed off to her locker. Fang came up to me as I was taking out my books. "Hey."

"Hey. What's up?"

"Is there anything wrong? You were kind of out there this morning."

"No, just tired, I guess." I didn't tell him about Ella freaking out or the strange bubbling feeling I had in my gut last night.

"Well, I think I might try what you suggested. You know, ask Maya out."

There it was. Bubbling up in my stomach like a shaken can of soda. I felt like throwing up. What was wrong with me? "Cool! You should, um, ask her in homeroom, I think." I managed to burst out. And I hurried off to the bathroom. I gripped the sides of the sink with both hands, breathing hard. After I calmed down, I made my way to homeroom. _You're such a spazz, Max,_ I thought. _Such a spazz._

**Sorry if there are any errors! I've been kind of wrapped up in homework and reading (I just HAD to check out all the Sammy Keyes books from the library all at once), so I kind of rushed this. Review?**


	12. Maya's Excitement

**Wow. I started this story thinking I would get like, 1 review. But 112****？？？ ****Aww, you're going to make me cry! Thanks to blueberryoreo for the 100th review, and everyone else who reviewed. And a big thanks to...**

**Percabethgirl2645**

**JustaBunchaHOOPLA**

**gigglesandbooks **

**for reviewing more than 5 times!**

**And...**

**Unicorn-Avian Girl! For reviewing just about EVERY. FREAKING. CHAPTER.**

**You guys are all awesome!**

**Maya POV**

OMG. OMG. Calm down. Calm down. CALM. I was sitting at my desk in homeroom and Fang had just come up to me to ask me if I wanted to see a movie. I said yes, of course, and squealed a lot afterward. It seemed that my stupid sister was useful for something after all.

The dance was so fun, and I thought I put on a good show. Now though, I would have to give Max's dumb bottle back to her. Ugh. The only thing that disturbed me was when Dylan asked Max to dance. I mean, I got his number, right? Shouldn't I be the one he's mooning over? But, like, whatever. Fang would be picking me up at five, so my mind shouldn't be like focusing on too many things or like, I'll get like, a gray hair or something. That would be just horrible.

I was in history, daydreaming, when suddenly, a ruler slapped my desk surface. "Miss Ride," Mr. Fields was staring over me. "Would you please go up and interprete the next phrase?" He was scary. His greasy hair was like, reflecting light from the ceiling. Like, you could cook toast on that head of his. And his nails were _dirty_. I don't care if he's a guy, he needed a mani-pedi PRONTO.

But, anyway, I went up to the board. Then I looked at the chalk. I made a disgusted face and turned to Mr. Fields. "You don't seriously expect me to touch that, do you? Like, no offense, but I have a very inportant date in a couple of hours, so like, I need to avoid, you know, disasters like this. The date is with _Fang_! Like, I can't even believe my sister did it. So, you know, surely you understand, sir." I batted my eyelashes.

"I don't care," he spat. "Answer the question. If you were listening, you would know."

Oh shoot. What were the three types of columns used in Greek architecture? I had NO idea.

"Ummm..."

"Miss Ride," he grunted. "If you don't know, then sit down. Andrew, what is the answer?"

"Ionic, Corinthian, and Doric!" Came the chirpy reply. Ugh. Andrew was such a teacher's pet. I just sat back down and kept daydreaming.

**Iggy POV**

Wait. WOAH. Hold up there, horsie! If I recall correctly, I was in history, listening to Mr. Fields drone on and on about newpapers? Was that it? It was like there was a column in the newspaper about like this dude named Doris? Or was it Cory? I really didn't remember. My ears perked up though, when he called Maya up to the board. Last night at the dance, things happened. Like, you know, dear reader, _mysterious_ things. Actually, quite frankly, Ella popped out of a cart of Clorox and Maya did some voodoo thing that made Max really scared. So, I actually paid attention in class because I wanted to hear what happened last night.

Maya got a date with FANG? How was that possible? I thought he liked her! I mean, Ella talked about them, coming up with this thing called fax, whatever that is. Actually, Ella somethimes overthinks things, so I can't take her seriously when it comes to her brother and whoever he might be dating. So, yeah. 

It was still kind of surprising, though, that he asked her out. Max said she was a real witch. What gives, Fang?

I found out everythig after class, when I bombared Max with questions. She finally told me about the bottle, and Maya dangling it in her face. "So, Ella's all upset for some reason, now," she finished.

"Yeah, she's so uppity-uppity about it. I think she thinks that you guys are meant to be, or something. But coming from her, being Fang's sister and all, I guess that's important? I don't know. Can we talk about bombs or something now? I'm much better at understanding stuff like that. Whatever happened has my brain all confuzzled."

So Max changed the subject. Not before saying, "What do you think of Ella?"

And cue the beet red ears. Joined by Max's Cheshire Cat grin.

**Max POV**

I had a siren screeching in my ears. Maya and I had to walk home together, and she wouldn't stop blabbering about her date with Fang. And on top of that, she was chattering about how the cheerleading tryout scores were being posted the next day and how she was _obviously_ going to make the team and that she was the best one there and how the coach had just LOVED her and praised her every second after putting her in the captain's spot. Wow. Was I really listening. This it just sad. I rolled my eyes. She was worse than Nudge.

Speaking of which, Nudge was visiting soon. She was coming with Angel, who was also awesome. Back in New York, we hung out just about every day. Ah, good times, no? The downer was that Maya's friend Brigid had to come along with them. Get this. Brigid doesn't seem like Maya's friend. She flirts with everyone, even Maya's past boyfriends. And you know what? I'd bet my invisible wings that Brigid will knowingly or unknowingly flirt with Fang. Or Dylan. Or anybody. And Maya would be okay with that. She worshipped her. My sister wasn't even that bad (can you believe that?) before she met Brigid. But after, she dressed like her, ate what she ate, and I _really_ don't want to have a sister who follows the Bible of Brigid.

Maya even tried to dye her hair red, just like her best friend's, but let's just say her hair was a wonderful seaweed green for the next couple months.

When we got home, the first thing Maya did was rush upstairs to prepare for her big date. The first thing _I _did was get my bottle back. It was unbroken, which was a relief. But it was filled with the overly sweet perfume that clogged Maya's room.

After changing into froupy pajama pants and a ratty T-shirt, I aired the bottle out on the balcony. Iwas just about done when Fang came outside. My heart started pounding, which was the strangest thing ever. There I was, holding a rusty bottle wearing frumpy clothes and looking ridiculous trying to shake all the perfume scent out of the bottle. Ella's makeovers were messing up my brain.

**Sorry, this was kind of a filler. You do get some insight of Maya though. And some foreshadowing! But, I have a ton of projects due, and a HUGE test coming up. Please review anyway?**


	13. The Bottle's Past

**Thanks for the reviews, guys! **

**Max POV**

My heart was pounding so loud my ears were on the verge of becoming deaf. Fang was looking at me strangely. He cocked his head to one side, smirking slightly. "Uhh...Max? Are you okay?"

I managed to act somewhat normal. "Yeah! Are you, uh, preparing for your big date?"

"Nah."

"Really? 'Cause Maya's having a spazz." I didn't mention how I was having a mental breakdown myself, but maybe I was just finally going insane. "She's in her bathroom now, inspecting her face, probably."

He winced. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, she's going all out." I laughed. "What's wrong?"

Fang seemed temporarily frozen, as if a freezer had just plopped down on him. "Huh? Oh, nothing." The ice melted. "Is she preparing already?"

"Yeah, I think she's inspecting her face in the mirror or something. Hey, can I come in?"

He made room for me to climb over. Although I've been in Fang's room mulitple times, I could never get over how much black there was. I mean, I knew he dressed in all black, but there were black dressers, black walls, black comforter...

We went downstairs, me holding the banister with one hand and the bottleneck in the other, my nose following the faint smell of cake. Fang's mother was in the kitchen. "Why! Max, hello! How lovely to see you!" She saw me staring at the cake and winked. "Here you go," she said, cutting two giant pieces of red velvet cake.

"Thanks," I said, putting the bottle down on the table. I dug in. By the time I took a breath of air, red crumbs dotted my nose, making me look slightly like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. I looked around me, at the polished wooden cabinets, the marble countertops, and my eyes finally stopped at Fang's mother, gazing at my bottle sitting on the island.

"May I-may I see that?" She picked it up.

"Uhhh..."

"Oh, did you write anything in it? You can take those out first, I suppose."

"Uhhh..." I managed to gather the papers that I had written on, and gave the remaining contents to her. She looked through it, eyes widening slowly, and mouth stretched in a small but unmistakable grin. She looked up at Fang.

"Why! She found it! Of all people! Oh, this is wonderful!" Her eyes were shining. "Sit down, you two, won't you?"

She wiped her hands on her pink apron, smiling wide. "See, Max, my husband and I...we wrote that letter in the bottle. It's very special to us, and really romantic, too! We were in a fight when we found the bottle. You lived in New York, right?" When I nodded, she rambled on. "Well, I was upset because Will was going out with my jerk-of-a-twin sister. He didn't realize I liked him, and we were taking a walk in the woods. He told me he was going to ask out my sister, and I don't know, I just exploded. I guess he didn't know her too well. He was my best friend, too! But we just walked along in silence when we saw this old and worn out bottle wedged along the river bank. Will didn't think much of it, but I've always wanted to find one of those things. Isn't it romantic? But, I kept it and believed that if I wrote in it, everything would right itself. And sure enough, it did! And at our wedding, I told Will and we wrote one last letter before shipping it off. And now, Max, you have it! Oh, this is like right out of a fairytale!" She wrung her hands in excitement. "Now, all you have to do it write. And then whatever mess you might be in will sort itself out! Is that silly to think such things?"

**Maya POV**

Stupid Max got her bottle back. Whatever. She had just come back from visiting next door, and I could hear her going up the stairs to her room. There was like, one hour until my date, and I was picking out my outfit. I hoped that the date was going to be something romantic, like, a dinner in a fancy restaurant or something. After a lot of serious decision-making, I finally chose a gold sequined dress with a v-neck and thin straps. When I stepped out of my room, Max was just making her way downstairs. I heard her struggle to choke down a laugh. "What?"

"Nothing!" She managed, but she was still gasping.

I looked at my outfit. There was nothing wrong with it. I mean, like, I looked way hot, I thought. My dress was a little long, like, it went a little lower that my butt, but the neckline made up for it. Max was just trying to put me down. Ugh. I rolled my eyes. I pushed her out of the way and hurried to the kitchen. I was just putting on my gold stilettos when the doorbell rang. I raced to the door, my heels click-clacking on the wood floor. Max was approaching the door, her hand reaching for the doorknob. I glared at her as I tried to run faster. But, oh, just my luck. I tripped on a crack in the flooring, my arms flailing as I hit the ground, purse flying and knees buckling. Max was basically in front of the door. I didn't want Fang to see me like this, so I screeched, "Max, don't you dare get it!" I scrambled to gather my clutch and got up, legs wobbling. Ugh, stupid floor.

Max was extending her arm, so I tried one last time. "Don't you dare get it! Don't you dare!" She didn't listen, of course.

**Love it? Hate it? Put it in a review? The date is the next chapter!**


	14. The Date, Part 1

**Thanks for the reviews, guys! So, this chappie's going to have LOTS of POVs, specials, changing...I just had to have everyone's opinions!**

**Max POV**

I got to the door before Maya, jus to irk her. She was half dressed in a skimpy dress that went halfway up her butt and was click-clacking in heels so high that she was almost my height. I opened to door to see Fang. Well, of course, I mean, who else would it be? Peter Pan coming to say, Hey! Let's be children forever? But, it was Fang. Dressed in his usual style-black black black, but somehow nicer in the same way. I couldn't help gasping slightly. Then, I realized the date was Maya's and crashed down to Earth. I had been acting strange all day. My mind was just whirling, conjuring up a huge storm. During the middle of the day, I felt like I had reached the eye, and now it was back at it again, flinging me around and around, recklessly as I lay there, helpless, confused. I hated that feeling.

I glanced at Fang, and then to Maya. I grinned. Fang was dressed pretty casually, while Maya was decked out to go to prom. Oh, this would be interesting.

**Maya POV**

Stupid Max got to the stupid door before me. Ugh. Whatever. I was standing at the door next to Max when I saw Fang. I heard Max gasp slightly. I grinned evilly. Someone was j-e-a-l-o-u-s!

But oh my gosh. What was he wearing? I mean, he looked completely hot and everything, but he was in like, not a tux. That meant no fancy dinner. Which also meant that my gold heels and dress were completely unnecessary. I saw Max recovering from realizing what a mistake she made, choosing that ugly bottle over Fang, and she managed to smirk. I rolled my eyes. I would make do with whatever sort of date Fang tossed my way.

I eagerly stepped out of the house. "Fangy!" I squealed, leaping into his arms. He jumped a little, but stayed where he was. I brushed some hair out of my face. "So, what are we doing?"

All he said was, "It's a surprise."

Really. It's a surprise? But whatever. He was hot, and that was all that mattered.

**Max POV**

What was I doing? I was standing in the doorway like an idiot. But I couldn't move. I just saw a vision playing back repeatedly in my head, Fang taking Maya's arm, gently saying, "Shall we go?"

Something about that struck a chord in my mind, and I kept trying to pinpoint what exactly it was. I was still pondering, stupidly staring at a brick in the distance going like, hohoho! That brick is two different colors! while trying to figure everything out.

Suddenly, Ella popped out of the bushes, two pairs of binoculars around her neck. Small leafy twigs stuck to her shirt and pants, but she didn't seem to care. She was so excited she was practically jumping in place.

"What are you _doing_?"

She grinned. "What do you think?" She handed me a pair of binoculars. "You and I, are doing some snooping!" I stared at her, but she rambled on. "See, I don't like this either, but I just know this date isn't going to end well. What better than to see it happen?"

When she saw me effortlessly imitating a codfish, she sighed. "Okay, Max, how's this. Wouldn't you like to see your sister in total humiliation?"

That did it. I took the binoculars. "Where'd they go?"

Ella smiled and pointed to the left. "Thatta way!"

"Wait, we're not doing anything stupid, right?"

"No way! Fang's just taking her out to dinner, so nothing crazy."

It was barely 10 minutes before she broke that promise.

**Ella POV**

Max is kind of mad at me. Well, she's all harumphing and kind of glaring at me. See, when Fang and Maya entered the restaurant, I realized that we couldn't go in without disguises. So, since I'm way shorter and it would look weird otherwise, I, um, kind of dressed us up?

What I'm saying is, I put Max in suit and stuck a mustache on her. And put a top hat on her head. She was all grumpy about it, grumbling that the mustache was itching her nose like crazy. I dressed in a below-the-knees red dress and some red pumps. I did my makeup so I would look older. But, the only flaw in our, well, _my_ plan was my knees. Even though I had chosen a longer dress, I have really weird knees. They're all crooked and they buckle really easily and Fang can recognize them from a mile away. He used to call them donkey's knees, even though that made no sense whatsoever to me.

So, I was just about sweating my butt off, but we made it to the booths just fine. We ordered food, and glanced at Fang and Maya out of the corner of our eyes. Then, I decided to do something really, _really_ stupid. I decided to scooch a little closer.

**Maya POV**

This restuarant didn't seem half bad. I mean, it had _Moonshine_ all lit up in luminescent letters and when we went in, it was all soft music and woodenish tables. So, it was pretty romantic. Then I realized that there were these super, like, weirdo people beind us. Like, the guy was like, in a top hat. I mean, didn't like George Washington wear one of those? That is SO 1500's. But somehow, they seemed familiar.

I just held Fang's arm a little tighter. Apparently, Fang knew the people there. He was all like, "Hey!" and all that hot stuff that he does and the waitress led us to a table.

I decided to order before Fang. "Hm. I'll have some ice water with a slice of lemon on the side. The slice has to be a sliver, like, as in, 2 milli-something-whatever-that's-called? And, I want a Caesar salad, with non-fat organic dressing. And the croutons HAVE to be toasted for 6 minutes. No more, no less. The lettuce must be crisp. Not that soggy mess you get at most restaurants. Got it?"

The waitress nodded, and started to take Fang's order. "The usual?" she asked, winking at him.

"Yeah." He handed her his menu. I shot the waitress a death glare. How dare she try to sabotage my date?

I kept an eye on the weird couple from the door. They were staring at us, and looking really stalkerish. Suddenly, the girl got up from her seat.

**Max POV**

Oh, oh, oh. Ella! On a whim, she just decided to casually walk past them on the way back from the bathroom. I stared, wide eyed. It was just so _awkward_. Surely Maya or Fang would recognize her. She was sauntering across the room, walking all the way around the room to pass their table. I almost buried my head in my strange-smelling top hat when I saw Fang look up. And stare at her knees. Oh, dear lord of heavenly curtains and earmuffs and all other things that make people happy, NO! Ella had told me about her knees.

Fang's eyes switched from confused to recognition and in slow motion, he looked up. By now, Ella was hurriedly trying to walk away, forgetting that cool and casual demeanor she was trying to portray. Fang grabbed her hand, which seemed to be dripping sweat. "Ella?" He whispered.

Maya, however stupid she was, was putting all the pieces together. She whipped her head in my direction and glared right at me. I felt my face burn up as Fang realized who the weird mustached man was. How was I ever going to explain this?

**Ok, ok. Don't get mad at me. I REALLY don't have time today to post the rest of this, but if I get enough reviews, I'll post it tomorrow! Review please? It gets pretty good!**


	15. The Date, Part 2

**Holy...YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING! For that, I'm uploading this BEFORE I go to school, wasting my precious breakfast time. Review?**

**Happy 150th reviewer time! Thanks a bunch to 16DREAMerzREALityNgoldenwings for the 150th review! And a BIG round of applause to...**

**MITTLE**

**blueberryoreo**

**Fluffy Bunnies Are So Cute**

**For reaching the 5 reviews mark!**

**And YAY! To:**

**JustaBunchaHOOPLA**

**gigglesandbooks**

**for reviewing 10 times!**

**On with the story...**

**Max POV**

Being here might mean to Fang that I like him. What was I supposed to say to that? I mean, he was JUST a friend, no matter what Ella said.

Maya was quickly marching up to me. She stuck her hand out and tore the mustache off my face. "It's her!" She screamed. "She's trying to sabotage my date! And her!" She glared at Ella, who seemed to whimper. "You! You're just jealous I'm taking your brother away, hm? Well, listen here, sister, when I get married to Fangy-poo, you'll have to deal with this a whole lot more!"

By now, everyone in the restaurant was staring. From the old couple in the back, to the reception desk lady who had fake nails that were supposed to look real but still looked fake. All eyes were on us. Well, Maya, who was still pointing fingers.

"Max, damn it! I KNEW you would do this! After I was nice to you and gave you your stupid bottle back, THIS is how you repay me? Ugh!" She didn't even let me talk. She picked up her dressingless salad and tossed it at my face. Except I ducked, a mistake that just let the evening slide down to a whole new low.

The salad hit Ella. And she really went pyscho.

She picked up some cowboy dude's spaghetti and before I could say, "No, Ella!" she tossed it at Maya. I inwardly groaned.

Ella yelled back, "Stupid little girl! How can Fang even like you? You're such a jerk!" and kept flinging pasta at my sister.

"Little girl? I'm older than you! How dare you say that?" Maya had picked up a flapper girl's bread and threw it at Ella.

"Because you act like one! Oh, wait." Ella glared at her. "I'm insulting the children aren't I? You don't act like a child! You act like a stripper! A slut! A freaking prostitute! You don't deserve Fang! He should be with M-"

Before she could finish her sentence and spoil anything not spoiled yet already, I leaped out of my seat and muffled the last word with my hand. All of sudden, everything went quiet. The silence was deafening. Ella was panting, glaring her best at Maya, who's hair was rumpled and matted with red sauce. Then Maya did the unexpected.

She charged Ella, recklessly flinging her heel at her. "You-will NOT-ruin-my-date!" She tried pinning Ella to the ground, but failed miserably and looked like a dying moth instead.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the owner coming at us with a speedy walk that was completely unnatural for a man his age. He stood over us sternly. "You!" He pulled Maya away by the back of her dress and yanked Ella by her hair. "And you! I will NOT have this in my restaurant! This is utterly preposterous! Do you not have manners! I am sure, young ladies, that it will do you much good to go to that finishing school up the street! If you must carry on, then do this in some club, or whatever! Now. Get OUT!" He basically shoved the three of us out of the restaurant. He slapped the moustache onto my face and closed the door with an air of finality.

Once he was gone, Maya screamed. "Ugh! This is all your fault! I am NEVER going to forgive you!" And she stomped away, underwear fully showing. Halfway down the street, her heel snapped and her had to walk with only one shoe. She glared back, as if that was somehow our fault, and kept stumbling down the street. Soon after though, she disappeared into the mist.

Ella smiled ruefully at me. "Sorry for tonight. I didn't know things would get this crazy."

I snorted. "Crazy? Well, you made me put on a moustache, dress as a man, spy on someone else's date, and on top of that, you started a food fight! Oh, definetely not crazy."

Ella looked down at her dress, which was dotted with lettuce and all kinds of sauce and cracked up. I joined her, and after we laughed till our stomachs hurt and we had to sit down, we sighed and started to slowly walk home. Then I felt a poke in my ribs. I whirled around to see Fang, looking as calm as ever, albeit what had just happened. "Stop that!"

He shrugged. "Stop what? Breathing?"

I gave him a look. "You KNOW what!"

He smirked. "Hey, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Yeah, sure."

All of a sudden, Ella seemed to be in a hurry. "Oh, whoops! I gotta get home! Mom's gonna freak!" And there she went, tearing down the street like she was being chased by a furry monster.

As we watched her go, I looked at Fang. "Are you not allowed there ever again? Because if that's the case, then I can write a REALLY long apology letter to the owner saying sorry, my sister's crazy."

He laughed. "Nah. Everything's cool. But your sister actually might be crazy. I didn't think she would actually try to tackle Ella. Although, I guess Ella gave her a good reason to. I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry? I'm supposed to be sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt your date, I just, you know...was worried...that, you know...Maya would be a bad influence!"

"Uh-huh." He gave me a look.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm serious!"

He didn't respond, and our conversation fell to a comfortable silence. Which gave me room to think. About us sitting on the bench outside the restaurant. About the moonlight shining down on us. About Fang, so close. And then his hand reached out and grabbed mine.

I jumped like 20 feet in the air, but I managed to not freak out on the outside. But on the inside, my heart was thumping wildly. _What was he doing?_ My hand started sweating, and I looked at Fang. "I-uh, gotta go cause, um, my mom's waiting for me."

"Okay." He didn't notice anything unusual. He didn't see my blushing face, or realize that my hand was leaking sweat, thank God. "See you tomorrow?"

"Uh, yeah!" I waved a quick goodbye, and raced down the street, thinking. Thinking about everything that had happened one hour ago. Thinking about Fang.

**Sooo...Ella's going to be happy...then raging! FAX is coming along! REVIEW? PLEASE?**


	16. Some Visitors

**First of all, sorry for not updating! I've been so busy, so the updates might come a little slower. And... 200 reviews! Thanks ****Serenaisbestezrq387**** for the ****review!**

**Max POV**

I don't know why, but after last night, I just felt awkward. So the whole next day, I just tried a new tactic. Avoid. I avoided Maya, and tried to avoid Fang, but it was desperately hard to do so without not looking normal.

Maya was just a huge bundle of anger and you could barely see her, so much steam was coming out of her ears. Everytime I glanced at her, she was taking it out on some kid, meekly trying to shove him in a trash can. So that was basically how the day went. Nothing too interesting happened, except for Maya making the cheerleading team. She almost forgot how angry she was.

I walked home with Maya, Ella and Fang, Ella in the middle, Maya still steaming, and Fang looking over at me, trying to figure out if something was off.

As we neared closer to our houses, I saw them. Nudge and Angel, looking every bit the same as they had when I had moved, waving their arms like maniacs yelling, "Surprise! Surprise!" They ran towards me, squishing me in a bear hug. "OMG, Max!" Nudge squealed. "We have SO much to talk about! Like, I'm not even kidding this time. Angel and I already unpacked and everything, so you better give us a tour right away and show us everything and I know I've only been here for like, two seconds, but already I can feel it's so so nice here! Isn't it? I just love your new house, and I cannot believe you have a balcony! Why didn't you t-" She was cut off by Angel, who had clamped her hand over her mouth.

Nudge was the perkiest person I had ever met. She was like a soda can that had been shaken a lot and when opened, just exploded. People sometimes called her Motormouth, but I had always preferred Nudge.

Angel was often mistaken for a 10-year old. She was tiny, and had blond princess curls and sparkling blue eyes. Heck, if you didn't know her, you would have thought she was the perfect child, docile and sweet. But I DO know her, and let me tell you, she had thought up her fair share of mischief over the years. When she's conjured up a plan, her eyes just glow and she smiles her evil little smile. And, Angel doesn't really say much, but when she does it's usually important, so I've learned to shut Nudge up and listen.

So I was smiling and jumping up and down like an idiot, when _somebody_ rained on my parade. Like, not just a sprinkle, but a shower. No, pouring rain. A monsoon. Why am I talking about rain? That's not the point.

The point is, Brigid was there. Stupid, malicious Brigid. Maya's best friend, but also the same person who had turned her into a skinny-as-hell slut. She was standing there, red hair perfectly straight, makeup perfectly applied. She was wearing sky-high heels, and a tight fitting dress that her body was trying to bust out of. Maya shrieked, running towards her.

Brigid looked slightly disgusted, wrinkling her nose and stepping away. "Ugh, don't touch me." She squinted her hazel eyes, trying to look smoldering, but failing and looked like a blind person instead. Brigid scanned the rest of the group perched on the corner of the driveway. Her eyes rested on Fang, and she sauntered over to him. Putting her hand on his chest, she batted her fake eyelashes. Before I could stop, I found myself shooting daggers at her.

Maya looked shocked. "Wait...but..."

"Shut up, will you?" Brigid snapped her head around and glared and my sister. She turned back to Fang, who looked like a deer in headlights. She continued to smile playfully at him.

Ella stepped in. She shot me a pointed look, and I realized that I was clenching my fists. Oops. "Hey, whatever-your-name-is, you're on my lawn. I don't remember giving you permission to BE on my lawn, did I? Hm? And I ALSO don't think I gave permission for a slut like you to hit on my brother!" She pulled Fang away from her and dragged me into the house. Nudge and Angel followed close behind.

"How did you deal with that for 3 whole hours?" I glanced out the window at Brigid, who seemed to be ordering Maya into the house.

Nudge sighed. "We're miracle workers, that's how."

"Wait-who was that?" Ella looked into the fridge and pulled out a can of soda.

I grinned. "You don't know her and you're already starting fights? Tsk, tsk, Ella!"

Ella scrunched up her face. "Well, she was flirting with my _brother_, which is weird already, and on top of that, she doesn't seem very nice."

I rolled my eyes. "You're right about that. Her name's Brigid. She's Maya's so-called best friend, and she flirts with every guy out there. She's what made Maya into what she is today."

**Fang POV**

From far away, that girl on Max's lawn didn't seem so bad. But after what had just happened, I was like, WHOA! I'm gonna stay away from girls. Except Max, of course. She was my friend. At least I thought so. I don't know what happened the night before, and I'm still not sure now. I just try not to think about it.

**Max POV**

Nudge and Angel stayed at Ella's for a while, and we all just talked and caught up. Ella got to know them pretty well, and she was laughing so hard that Coke spurted up her nose when Nudge told her about how Brigid accidentally hit on a teacher that picked his nose and cut Barbie's hair in his free time.

But then, the topic shifted. Ella was telling them all about Fang. When she got to the part about how I would someday get married to him and that she was going to get all the credit, I had to step in.

It was too late, though. Angel already had a glint in her clear blue eyes, and they were glowing like crazy.

**Sorry if there are any mistakes! I just needed to upload really fast. And the plot thickens...! (BTW, did you notice the FAX? There will be more though, I promise that!)**


	17. And a Brigid

**Did I ever say how so sorry I am for not updating? Softball season started, and the schedule's crazy. Also, I have OFFICIALLY run out of books to read. I've been stressing out about that because I need books, and I need oxygen. Like, in that order. So I've been sitting around reading labels on soup cans (don't judge, okay?) and trying to find good books to read. I just finished Kiki Strike by Kirsten Miller, and that was it. ANY RECOMMENDATIONS? PLEASE? Review or PM me a list of your favorite books and their authors and genres! I'll read basically anything except non-fiction. Thanks!**

**Sorry in advance because this chapter's REALLY bad. I have the story line, i just can't figure out how to put it in words.**

**Max POV **

Fang and Ella came over for dinner. We were eating out that night. I should have been happy, but for some reason I got a tight feeling in my gut whenever Fang talked to Brigid, who was hanging around him like, 24/7. She looked like tacky glue that was determined to stick to your arm. I actually considered saving Fang from being sucked in to her invisible charm, but he was talking back to her, almost seeming interested. That just kind of baffled me.

But, I didn't want to think about it, so I went upstairs with Ella. Nudge and Angel were staying in my bedroom, which was now rather hard to get around with two huge sleeping bags spread out on the floor.

"OMG, can we have a tour of the town before dinner? It would be so so cool! Like, already, it's really pretty, and I love love love your room! You could show us all the cute little shops because I know there have to be some, and all the cool restaurants, and-" Nudge's mouth was clamped shut by Angel's hand.

"Hey! That's a good idea!" Ella smiled.

The problem was though, my mom liked the idea, too.

"Oh! That's wonderful! Fang and Brigid and Maya should go along! You guys should have the excersise, anyway. But, just be home by 7, okay? Our dinner reservation is at 7:30."

So, it ended up with Ella, Nudge and Angel in the front, and Fang and I in the back, with Brigid and Maya in the middle, all walking through the park. Brigid kept trying to butt in on the conversation, which irritated me. I would say just one word, and she would completely cut me off every single time. Her talk wasn't even intelligent, it was just all, "Oh, look at that, Fang!" and she would cling to his arm while pointing at a bush. How incredibly interesting. But after a while, Fang started talking to her.

He didn't say much, but he was like, "That bush is old," and that was enough. Brigid was all over him, and I couldn't stand it.

I charged foward and caught up to Ella, Nudge, and Angel. Ella was pointing out all the interesting sights, like Bird Pond, or Cherry Blossom Bridge. One time, Ella and I had just walked through the park and named every one of them. Bird Pond was named after the event that happened every Sunday. A huge flock of birds would just circle the the pond in a perfect arc, then fly away. The pond was kind of hidden, so not many people saw what happened. Sometimes, Cherry Blossom Bridge would be so covered in cherry blossoms that it looked, well, as if it was made of cherry blossoms. Nudge and Angel loved the idea of Bird Pond, so on Sunday, we were going to go there on a picnic to see them.

**Fang POV**

Gee, thanks, Max. Leaving me here with your sister and her crazy best friend. She was clinging on to my arm so tightly that I couldn't even shake her off. Max seemed kind of angry when she ran off, but I still couldn't understand why. Was something wrong? I wouldn't know, with Brigid stuck to my arm, yelling in my ear about some weird bush. I only talked to her to try to get her off me, but she seemed even more excited and now was talking about how the tree in the distance looked like a poodle. I really couldn't see the resemblance.

This went on for another hour, until we finally toured the whole town and were rounding the last corner back home. Brigid let go of my arm, at last...only to grasp onto the other.

**Max POV**

I was NOT in denial. Ella kept jabbering on about how I was jealous of Brigid, and that I finally DID like Fang. Nudge got all excited, because back before I moved, she couldn't even get me on a date with anybody. Angel's eyes kept glimmering, which kind of crept me out.

We got home on time, and set out for the restaurant. It was this really cool hibachi place, where the people cooked the food in front of you and did all these tricks. Once we got seated, though, Brigid started her insane kiss-up act.

"Oh, thank you SO much for bringing us here and taking time out of your work." She gushed. "I just LOVE this town, it really is one of the BEST places to live. And you have SUCH good taste, picking the house that you did."

Thankfully, my mom didn't buy it. She had known Brigid for long enough. She didn't quite like Brigid, but she still couldn't put her finger on what was quite wrong with her.

But then, Brigid dropped the atomic bomb.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" She oozed sugary sweetness. "Daddy said that we're moving here! I mean, I _begged_ him, because I just LOVE this town and I miss Maya SO much!"

I couldn't resist snorting. "Oh, shut your pothole. You're only moving 'cause you don't have any other friends to boss around."

"Maximum!" My mother's eyes widened.

I really didn't care at that moment. Bitchy-Brigid was moving to town, and there was no saying what could happen.

**Sorry! I had to do that. Really. Just keep reading. And review while your at it, please! Plus, please read the A/N above if you skipped it. It's important! (To me, at least)**


	18. Who Does Something Shocking

**Hey! So, I had an urging inspiration to write yesterday. Your book suggestions were also uber-helpful! I mean, I read a lot of the books already, but there were some I had never heard of before and they sound pretty darn awesome. Also, does FFN, YouTube, Hulu, Gmail, any of those sites give your computer viruses? 'Cause I have like, 30 and my mom doesn't want to pay for the virus protection. I'm kind of freaking out. I think my laptop's broken because it won't turn on. So. On to the story! The plot thickens!**

**Maya POV**

Dinner was like, so cool. I mean, I didn't even pay any attention to the hibachi chef guy going all, "Ole!" or whatever they do in England and making my dinner explode, because I was SO excited about Brigid visiting. Like, it was so awesome that she was moving here. And she totally surprised everyone, and even showed up Max! Like, Max never liked Brigid in the first place, which makes total sense, since Brigid's too awesome for her anyway. Still, Max should respect Brigid anyway. Brigid is so much better than her, and it's not even worth comparing.

Everything about Brigid is cool. I mean, her hair, her clothes, her personality, like, it's such an honor to even be her BFFL. I wish sometimes I could be like her, but then I realize that being her friend is great already. Like, I'm still a little miffed that she flirted with Fang, like he's MY boyfriend and all, **(A/N: No, Maya, no...nope nope nope)** but whatever. She didn't know, so I couldn't blame her. Fangy's a hottie, I know that already. I mean, I'm not sure I even told her Fang's name. After dinner, we went back home. I considered telling her, but then decided not to. Brigid always got what she wanted. And, it wasn't a big deal, anyway. She always hit on my past boyfriends and stuff like that. I had almost grown used to it. After saying goodbye to Fang and his sister, Max and her loser friends Push-off-a-cliff and Onion-Ring-Halo rushed upstairs. I rolled my eyes and walked up to Brigid, who was standing next to Fang. She glanced at me and said, "I get the bed."

Well, I should have expected that. Like, Brigid ALWAYS got the bed, no matter what. I usually took the floor. Whatever. She deserved the bed, anyway. I started to head upstairs to get it ready for her beauty sleep, but Brigid stuck out a perfectly manicured finger, signaling that I should wait. So, I did, sliding down into a chair. Brigid was always right about everything. If she said that I should wait, then I guess it was right if I did. But what she did surprised me. Fast as a bullet, her hands snaked around Fang's neck and she pulled him into a long kiss. Just like that. I mean, I guess that was fine, like no biggie. Brigid did things like that. Like, she;s making out with my boyfriend. Just as long as she didn't talk about it, or brag about it, everything was cool. Maybe it was an accident and she didn't mean to kiss him. Things like that happen. But my gaping mouth didn't even come close to Max's who had just come downstairs, orange juice in hand, and seen it all.

**(A/N: Aren't you glad I'm not ending the chappie there? It's too short, so I can't anyway, but if it was long enough, I might have. *grins evilly*)**

**Fang POV**

Well, Brigid's not shy of anything. She was practically sitting ON me during dinner, and now this. I really didn't like it. First, she kissed like a fish. And when I saw Max's face over her shoulder, I was disgusted by Brigid even more. Who was she to cling onto my neck like that? I barely even knew her! What if I had a girlfriend? I mean, I didn't but still.

Max looked shocked, stunned, a little hurt as she stood there. She looked pretty even in her Winnie-the-Pooh pajama bottoms, her hair in a loose ponytail, but I wasn't focused on that. Her hands were clenched so tightly, her knuckles were pure white, and her face was a pale sheet with wide eyes and an open mouth. I couldn't read her thoughts, like I usually could. Her face was blank, blocking the world out.

All that was running through my mind, though, was what was going on? She didn't like me, I was sure. She didn't act like she did, but with these past events, I just didn't know. Max never showed hurt. And yet she was standing there, looking like she was a limp doll. She didn't look anything like the tough, sarcastic Max that I knew. It made me think that maybe I didn't know Max at all, at least not this one.

But a single question ran through my head as I was taking in everything happening around me - Brigid still unbearably close, Ella and Maya looking bug-eyes, and Max, slowly, ever so slowly turning away, running from my shouts. That question hit me hard in the chest, making my mind do a double take. Who in their right mind would like their best friend? I really didn't know, just like how I didn't know a lot of things at the moment. Maybe I was that person, out of their mind, and falling for their best friend.

**Hm? Hm? Does that make up for the sucky chapter I posted a couple days ago? Hm? And I know it was short, don't remind me, but I think this chappie is pretty freaking awesome. Well, I thought it was. I think that for the first time in this story, the plot's finally getting somewhere. (Yeah...after 17 chapters...sorry!) Like, we're getting to the meat of the story! Before, I kind just of dillyed and dallyed and stopped in Paris for burger and fries, but now we're going somewhere! R&R?**


	19. The Fight

**Can I just say how UBER sorry I am for not updating? My computer shut down on me...**

**Max POV**

For the last couple of days, Fang has just been by me all the time. Maybe he felt bad, after what Brigid did that night? I still wasn't sure what to think. I mean, he could kiss whomever he wanted! And I would be perfectly fine. I had to tell myself that a couple times over, which was kind of strange. My stomach started doing flips, so my brain wouldn't listen. I swear it was the eggplant we had for dinner last night. Something about it was off. Then again, I'm pretty sure I was thinking about Fang...

Oh, who am I kidding? It was definitely the eggplant. But, as Fang and I were walking to our lockers after a hard day of converting carbon dioxide to oxygen, I got thinking. Why should I let whatever kiss bother me?

I was still pondering, pondering... And I was just thinking SCREW YOU Brigid! This kiss is not bothering me! Nope! See, this is me not being bothered! when Sam walked up to Fang and me.

**Sam POV**

I told myself I wasn't going to be nervous. But butterflies always mean something, so I couldn't really ignore them. I guess I liked Max since the very beginning, when she first moved here. I was sure she would asked out on 5 million dates the first day, but she didn't. And I thought all the guys liked her, but if they did, none of them showed it. There was just me. And so what, if I took a huge chance? There was nothing to lose now.

I took a deep breath and walked up to Max. Thing was, Fang was there. Whoop-de-do-dah. He was always there, at least for the past few days. It's like Max was babysitting him or something. Whenever I saw Max, I saw Fang. And I saw Max between all my classes. It was annoying. I wasn't jealous of Fang, being all buddy-buddy with Max of course, because I knew all those marry-your-best friend- fairy tales never worked out anyway. But Fang was there now, butting in on what could've been the bravest thing I've done in my whole life career.

"Hey Max! Fang. I was wondering, um, Max, um, if you could, um, go out for ice cream this Friday?" I babbled those last words, looking down at the ground.

When I looked up, I saw Max looking thoroughly surprised, Fang glaring at me, and staring at Max as if to say "Well, turn him down!" But Max didn't.

**Max POV**

I was at a loss for words. Sam? Who would've thought? But I realized, if I shouldn't let the kiss bother me even more than I was so awesomely doing already, then I should accept. So I did. Hey, ice cream sounded cool to me. Fang looked kind of weird, and and quickly mumbled, "Gotta go with Ella to the park. See you later."

I stared after him, his hair swooping over his eyes, obsidian orbs slowly pulling away. Yup, too much eggplant.

**Maya POV**

That night, Brigid was sitting on the bed while I folded her clothes and stacked them into my dresser. She had decided to live with me for the next month or so.

Brigid took a look at her cuticles and pursed her lips. "Now, don't tell me my new boyfriend isn't cute."

I stopped folding her clothes, confused. "Keep folding, she demanded. I kept folding.

"New-boyfriend? Who? Oh, is it that hottie Dylan? Wait, no. He's my dibs if my boyfriend and I ever break up. No! It's Anthony! You're dating Anthony? Oh my gosh he's perfect for you!" I gushed enthusiastically.

"Uh, no, stupid. It's Fang. I'm surprised you didn't realize already. Couldn't you just see our chemistry?"

"F-Fang? Since when?"

"Well, it seemed that my efforts paid off. I'm an amazing flirter, you know. Let's just say we had a pretty hot make out session between home room and 1st period in the janitor's closet." Brigid smiled at me and blew at her nails.

"B-but he's MY boyfriend!" I said, half hysterically. "I told you about him, remember?"

"Oh, really? I thought it was that kid Marc, who lives on the other side of us." I groaned inwardly. Marc was a loser at best. Greasy, black hair polluting his head, acne covering his face. "How could I ever like him?" I asked, getting quite upset and offended. "Brig, you should have known better."

"Me? Know better?" She rolled her eyes. "Come on. You're the insane jerk who didn't tell me his name. He's my boyfriend and you're expecting me to back down? Now, make my bed."

"But he was MY boyfriend first!" I cried, stomping my foot. "Besides, you're sitting on MY bed, so I can't make it!"

Brigid let out a whisper of a laugh. "Well, what do you expect me to do? Sit on the floor? Now make my bed!"

I glared at her. "No."

"Excuse me?" She asked, her voice icy. "If you forgot, I'm the leader. That means you do whatever I want, no questions asked. That means YOU don't have an opinion on whether Fang was your boyfriend first. Which I'm sure he wasn't. I mean, look at you. No matter how much makeup you put on, you'll always be a hideous brat."

That part really stung. I never thought I was gorgeous, like Max, but I always thought I was pretty enough. "No." And a fire struck in me, because that wasn't all I wanted to say. "You know what, Brigid? You're supposed to be my best friend. Friend. Friends are equal, so if I'm your friend, then I can't be your maid."

Brigid rolled her eyes, "Well, then I guess I'm not your friend, _maid_."

Tears welled up in my eyes, but I took one final blow. "Maybe Max was right for once. Maybe you're just moving because you don't have any so-called 'friends' except me. But I still do. I have Lissa, and Callie, and Brianna, and Tiffany! And, I'm on the cheerleading team, too! You don't have any friends. You a loser. You don't have anybody."

Brigid glared at me. "Huh. When I rise to Queen Bee at school, SOLO, you'll regret you said any of this."

I stared at her hard, water pouring from my eyes. "I don't regret it. My friends and I ALREADY rule the school. You're just a speck in the distance."

Before I could say anything else, Brigid reached over and slapped my cheek. Hard. "How dare you!" She screamed. "I hate you, I hate you!"

I didn't think. Sparks of red flashed through my head as I heard myself saying, "Thank you. I'm glad I'm worthy of your hate." And I saw myself pushing her out of my room. As I slowly collected myself, I took one final look at my ex-best friend. I had pushed her, pushed her so hard. Her body was propelling itself over the banister, and was tumbling, tumbling, tumbling, down the stairs. I couldn't even hear her screams anymore. Just the plunk, plunk, plunk of a limp body rolling down.

**A/N: OK. So. Could you guys detect something fishy going in the chapter? Something wasn't right. If you can find it, review or PM me and I will put your names in the next chapter! **

**Despite what you guys might be wishing, no Brigid isn't dead. BUT, I have a question. Would you peoples like to get straight to the FAX, and let Lissa stay out of the drama, or would you want Lissa to get humiliated and have the FAX be postponed? One or the other! R&R?**


	20. Stupid Revelations

****…...I'M SO SORRY! I got caught up in school drama, and it got so bad that I completely forgot that there was Fanfiction. By the time things calmed down a bit, ummmm...****

**Maya POV**

Brigid was SO milking it. Even after the creepy doctors at the creepy creepy hospital said she was okay, she kept complaining that her head hurt, her limbs ached, her back was sore-what was she, an old lady?

I sat at the foot of my bed, thinking of everything that happened. I had nine mugs of strong coffee, all empty, to help me. I finally realized that Brigid wasn't everything I thought she was. She was supposed to be my best friend, and yet, she turned on me, not even looking back.

And I kind of realized that I was an idiot.

For just about my whole life, I was completely mean to Max. I guess I was just jealous, though.

And then I look at Fang.

And I realized that I was a stupid moron. Nevermind, I'm still too pretty to be a moron. But I was stupid. Completely stupid.

My relationship with Fang didn't work out. Why? Because it wasn't right. Max and Fang should have been together the whole time, and everyone was just getting in the way. And though I still didn't like my sister, if she lived as a spinster because of me, I would be forever humiliated. Max and Fang-they were best friends. Because of me, they weren't even in a stable friendship.

The dance. The holiday dance was soon-Friday. A plan started brewing in my head as I snapped out of my reverie, reinvigorated. I was so excited I started singing. "Gotta pee, gotta pee, gonna jump off the balconyyyyy..."  
>I stopped, running the words through my head, and shook my head. I had too much coffee. This was going to be extremely hard to get through without sounding ridiculous.<p>

Fang was sitting on his porch, listening to music. I raced down the stairs, not even caring that I was in my pajamas. I reached the Walkers' porch, breathless. "Hey! Mr. Farty Fart Sucker! You're really stupid, you know that?" This already wasn't going well, but I just barreled on. "Okay. Maybe I've done some pretty shameful things over the past few weeks, but I think I'm coming around. BUT YOU. You are just completely oblivious, you know that. Maybe I liked you a little too much, and Brigid liked you a lot too much, but you should have been even more aware of what was happening."

Fang looked down, taking his earplugs out. "I was."

I crossed my arms, unimpressed. "Oh. Really. Do you know that you guys are freaking PERFECT for each other?"

"She doesn't." His voice sounded small.  
>I rolled my eyes. "'Cause she's <span>afraid.<span> And she's stubborn. You can't get past her barriers without trying. She's not gonna realize until YOU stand up."

"She has a date with Sam."

I stumbled back. "With who?"

"Sam."

"When?" I demanded, glaring at him.

"This Friday at the ice cream shop."

"You mean on the day of the formal? Of all the days-she's going for ice cream then?"

"I guess."

Well-then do something about it." I walked away, my undying love for Fang vanishing with the breeze.

There was only one thing I had to do. I got out my phone, and dialed Dylan's number.

**Max POV**

I met Fang at the park. For some reason, my stress just melted away as we talked about everything from flying pigs to waffles. But, I just couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong. "What's up?" I asked.

Instead of answering, he stared at me. "I'm sorry-about what happened with Brigid."

I was caught off guard. I looked at him, wide-eyed. "Yeah, uh, it's cool."

Fang shoved his hands in his pockets. "So, um, are you going to the dance?"

"Huh?" What was he talking about? What dance?

Before I could react, he leaned closer and kissed me. His lips fit mine like a glove, warm. They were soft, and I closed my eyes. I don't know how long we stayed like that, but I stumbled back into reality. I was kissing my best friend. My best friend. This wasn't supposed to happen. In the movies, everything ended happily, but in real life, these things ruined friendships. My head was on fire. Why was I kissing him? I didn't even remember. Did I kiss him first? Then, he obviously didn't like me.

I gasped, too scared to even look at Fang's expression.

And then I ran away. Like the coward I knew I was inside. I ran and ran and ran.

I ran, hugging my coat as it started to rain. I ran as the light shower turned heavy, rain drops smashing at my head. When I got home, the first thing I did was look out the window. I could see the park, and Fang, still caught in the storm.

**3rd Person POV**

Fang stood there, fists clenched. She didn't like him. Why did Maya even try? Why did he listen to her in the first place. She was stupid. She was wrong.

He was stupid, for believing her. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

He slammed his hand against the park bench. He buried his head in his hands and didn't even notice when the rain started to pour, drenching him in frustration.

**Max POV**

I looked up to my mother's concerned face. "Honey, are you okay?" She felt my forehead. "That rain must have been freezing! You take a warm bath, and go to bed! I'll bring up some hot chocolate."

I dragged myself up the stairs, completely worn out. I didn't bother taking a bath, and quickly climbed into bed. That was my mistake. I had nothing to do, but reflect on the past events. Fang. How he made me feel at ease. His rare smile that brightened anyone's day. The way his eyes sometimes glistened...

I groaned, as everything finally came crashing down upon me. I was hopelessly, utterly, in love with my best friend.

**A/N: So, as you might be able to tell, this story's beginning to wind down. I haven't reached the climax yet, but it will be soon! And um, I'll try to um, update...**


	21. Max's Utmost Stupidity

**A/N:** **Whoops. Every time I update, I feel bad, because I haven't updated in FOREVER. My best friend's love of her life had asked me out so...I kind of had to deal with that for awhile...**

Max POV

Friday was strange. There were balloons everywhere, which was annoying because they kept smacking me in the head. Everything was all sparkly and white, and people were giggling uncontrollably all day. All I was was extremely confused.

Later, I went to get ice cream in reluctance. Truthfully, I was only looking forward to the ice cream. I still hadn't told anyone about my date with Sam, especially since I didn't want to go. It was too late to back out, though. So, I just told my mom that I was going out (to save myself from hordes of questions from an overly excited mother) and went to meet Sam at six.  
>It was awkward. We walked in silence. We got our ice cream in silence. We sat down in silence. The only person who truly talked was the lady at the counter, who winked at us. "You kids going together later?" I looked at her, puzzled. Then, Ella called. I didn't want to be rude, so I muted my phone. But while Sam went to the bathroom, I checked. She had called eleven times. Eleven freaking times. Did her beloved pet chicken Bartholomew die a horrible death or something?<p>

I grimaced, and hoped Sam was suffering from severe constipation. Warily, I dialed Ella's number. She picked up on the first ring. "Where the hell are you?"

"I'm at Daisy's Ice Cream."

"Maximum Ride. The winter dance is tonight. I have your dress, we're leaving at seven, and you're telling me you're out for frozen food? I even told you before, remember?"

"No." Inside, I was freaking out. Fang had mentioned a dance, right?

"Well, you probably spaced out. Why are you there, anyway?"

"Uh…I'm on a date."

Silence.

"With who?" Her voice hissed.

"Sam."

The phone was quiet again. Then I heard a wail."Why are you on a date with HIM? Can you ditch him?"

"'Scuse me?"

"Nevermind. Sam is sweet, but he has awful timing. Hold on. I'm coming to get you." And the phone went dead.  
>Sam was still in the bathroom when Ella barged in, hair half curled, one shoe on, one shoe off, one eye with makeup, one eye without. She quickly scribbled a note to Sam, then dragged me out of the shop. When I was pushed into her car, I saw something surprising. My sister sat in the passenger seat, dress half on, stiletto perched on her half straightened head. She turned to face me. "Did Fang do something?"<p>

I stared at her. "What are you..."

"Doing here?" She smirked. "Ella and I have miraculously bonded together to join forces against your utmost stupidity. Did Fang do something?"

"Why would he do anything?"

"Well, otherwise, you wouldn't be on this date with that Green-Eggs-and-Ham guy. So...what up with Fang?"

"Umm...we kissed."

"And...?"

"I ran away."

"You idiot!" She shrieked. "Why?"

"Because I didn't remember if he kissed me first. He obviously doesn't like-" My eyes widened. "Does he?" My voice came out as a whisper.

"Moron, what do you think?"

"I think..." I trailed off.

I thought about Fang and Maya's date, how we talked under the stars-how I ran. I thought about how I felt during Brigid's visit, startled and jolted,-how I ran. I thought about that day at the park, how Fang's eyes seem to stare me down-how I ran.

I bolted up from the seat, smacking my head on the roof of the car.

Maya raised an eyebrow. "Finally realized?"

"Why do you care?"

"Because you guys are perfect for each other. I'm not THAT cruel, Max." She rolled her eyes.

"As if. What time is it?" I voice sounded almost frantic, foreign.

"Six-thirty. The dance starts now. Of course, we can arrive fashionably late, so we'll have time to do you up real fast." Ella was driving like a maniac.

"No. Drop me off here."

"What? Max, it's like, a blizzard out there."

"You're exaggerating, Ells. It's snowing only lightly, and it just started now."

"Well, I guess Fang SHOULD be there...and it's not too long of a walk...WAIT." She looked me up and down. "Are you telling me you went on a date in THAT? That isn't acceptable for a date, so forget the winter formal."

"Whatever. I don't care at this point."

"Fine." She seemed hesitant. "Just promise me one thing, alright?" Ella looked at me sternly.

"What?"

"If you're running, this time, run to him."

**A/N: Ok, so that was probably incredibly cheesy, but hey, I was in a cheesy mood. ACCEPT IT. And please also accept the shortness of the chapter. Please?**

**News: I'm going to be globetrotting for three weeks-which also means no internet. I WILL be writing, however, as much as I possibly can, so I'll have more chapters for you guys! **

**Thanks for every review! I read all of them, and it truly makes my day. **


	22. The Dance, Part 1

**It's been a while, I know… but**

**I'M BACK!**

**MR'S BACK!**

**SHINEE'S BACK BACK BACK BACK BACK! (Did anyone get that?)**

But, seriously, did you guys read the last book? I was sooo disappointed, but maybe that's just me? Maybe my expectations for JP were just way too high…

Also, I couldn't go near the computer for a while, since there was this extreme numbness in my wrist and my mom freaked out. I could only recently come back on, and then, I GOT WRITER'S BLOCK. I reread this story, and just had a spazz. THIS IS SO BAD. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW YOU CAN READ THIS. I'm definitely going to have to rewrite this sometime in the future. But, I will finish it. I was scared to even check my email, because then I would feel guilty when I read your reviews…

So, if people are still reading this, without further ado…chapter 22!

**ELLA POV:**

I smiled slightly to myself as Max stumbled out of the car. Oh, young love. She was finally going after him. I looked down at my hands, pale from the winter cold. Why couldn't something like that happen to me? It was all so romantic. It seemed as if everything was falling together. Max and Fang were going to work out, I was going to make sure of it, and Maya seemed to truly like Dylan, who she had starting talking to. He was picking her up at my house. He was a sweet guy, truly.

I sighed. No use daydreaming. I couldn't waste any time-I wasn't even supposed to be driving. When I was younger though, my dad taught me how to drive. He told me it was practice "in case I needed to chase criminals in the near future". Close enough.

I quickly drove back to my house, and rushed to the door. I looked ridiculous, I knew. Maya followed behind. She and I got along alright now, although I didn't think she even knew about the shoe on her head. I gave her a look, and she rolled her eyes. "It's curling my hair! I'm going natural!"

I chuckled to myself. Did Dylan realize how crazy she was yet?

**IGGY POV:**

I was nervous. I ran down the icy streets (probably not the smartest idea), holding the roses in one hand. Fang was supposed to be with me, but I looked away for five seconds and he just disappeared. Some friend. As I ran, I thought for the hundredth time how freaking nervous I was.

**MAX POV:**

I was running, running to a confrontation I didn't want to make. It had started snowing harder, and my hair follicles were freezing off. By the time I got to the dance, I would be bald. My limbs would also fall off along the way. I was stupid to leave my coat back at the ice cream shop, since my t-shirt was definitely not warm enough. I shivered. And then ran into a wall. I slipped, my foot sliding out from behind me. "Wha-" I looked up. "Iggy?"

He gave me a sheepish look. "Sorry." As he helped me up, he took off his jacket and gave it to me. I same the goosebumps on his arm literally popping through his dress shirt, and promptly gave it back.

"I don't want it."

"What? Aren't you cold?"

"Shut up. Take the stupid jacket."

"What? No way! You're cold!"

"You take it, or I will murder you with a shish kabob stick."

"Okay." He quickly took the jacket back.

I noticed the roses in his hand; Iggy was gripping them like they were his lifeline. Miraculously, they were perfectly intact.

"Who are those for?"

Iggy blushed a deep red, and started to stutter. "W-well, y-you see, um…" He looked down at his shoes, perfectly polished. His voice came out as barely a whisper. "They're for Ella?"

My mouth immediately twitched up into a grin. "No way."

"Um…?"

"Yay! I'm so happy for you! She'll love 'em!"

Iggy smiled shyly. "You think so?"

"I know so!"

Grins on our faces, a silence fell over us as we began to walk to the school together.

"Hey, you're going to the dance?"

Confused, I looked up at him. "Um, yeah?"

"Oh. "

"I know I don't look like I am, but I just need to find…" Now it was my turn to blush. "Well, have you, um, happened to see Fang? I kindofreallyneedtotalktohimr ightnow."

Iggy wiggled his eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yeah. I do." I bet my face was as red as a tomato.

"I knew it!" He sighed, his tall frame relaxing. "Well, I actually don't know where he is. He kind of ditched me."

I pursed my lips. "I'll find him sometime." It was just a matter of if I lost all my gumption before then.

We neared the school, I heard the loud, pounding music and grimaced. I braced myself, squeezed my eyes shut, and stepped into the school. The heat overpowered all my negative feelings toward dances, as the warmth danced across my skin. Heaven. "Oh crap." Iggy whispered. He stiffened.

"What?"

"Ella's here. I can't do this."

"Oh, come on. She likes you, Iggy! She _likes _you! If you don't do this, I swear you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

Iggy looked at me. "You promise you'll talk to Fang? I'll do this if you do the same."

"I promise."

Iggy took a deep breath. I patted him on the shoulder. "I'll leave you alone for a little bit. But when I come back, you and Ella had BETTER be together."

I raced into a random crowd of people before he could further protest. I took in my surroundings and gagged. There was so much…glitter. Sure, it was winter themed, but really? Huge, sparkly snowflakes hanging from the ceiling? What if they fell? That could kill someone! This was dangerous! I lingered near the food table before shaking my head. I couldn't stay here. My eardrums were dead from the screeching. "FRIDAY FRIDAY GOTTA GET DOWN ON FRIDAY!" Turtles help me.

I snuck out past the teachers guarding the doors, which was actually quite easily done. They were slacking off and playing Temple Run. So I roamed the school, slowly walking and looking at each tile on the walls, trying not to think about what I might even possibly say to Fang. As I stepped into one of the art rooms, I froze. Fang stood there, looking out the window.

My mind raced. I could leave now. Discreetly. I wasn't ready to talk. But then, I remembered my promise to Iggy. And why I wanted to talk to Fang in the first place. But before I could make my own decision, the stupid door decided to have a mind of its own and slam behind me. Fang whirled around at the noise, his eyes meeting mine.

**Sorry, I'm evil. I know. But I think I know how to end this story now. And there won't be as long of a wait for the next update. Also, I apologize if there are any errors. I didn't have time to look it over! It's so sad! There are only a few more chapters left. And the next chapter is definitely going to be exciting, so please review!**


	23. The Dance, Part 2

**READ ME READ ME READ ME**

**Ok...I have a confession.  
>I've tried avoiding this chapter probably since I've started this story, so I'm going to completely wing it. I know this has turned into a complete cliche, I KNOW THAT. And I love cliches with the whole of my heart, I really do. But to be honest, when I'm reading them, it takes a lot of effort for me to get through the sap. Sometimes I have to even skip it, then force myself to read it later. I have no idea why this happens, because I do love the fluff. It's the strangest thing ever! I can't even properly explain it. Maybe I don't like sap but I like fluff as a whole? (Does this happen to any of you?) And since this IS my first official story on FFN, please don't kill me if it sucks majorly. And blows up in a nuclear explosion. So please don't blow me up in a nuclear explosion as well.<strong>

Enjoy?

Max POV

I inhaled sharply, cold air filling my lungs. Tearing my eyes away from his gaze, I frantically looked around me, taking in my surroundings. The art room truly was beautiful, student's masterpieces decorating the otherwise plain walls, tables stacked high with recently completed pottery projects. I tried desperately gather my thoughts, choosing instead to focus on a statue of a lone sunflower rather than the admittedly chunk of hunkiness standing before me. That chunk's eye's were boring into my head rather uncomfortably, mind you. Resignedly, I looked up from my intense analysis of the detail placed in the sunflower's leaves. I grimaced at the awkward silence.

Fang. When was he this handsome? His black dress shirt fit him perfectly, showing just exactly how toned he was. His hair was perfectly ruffled, seemingly effortless. And his eyes, his eyes were like the night sky, as they always were, dark, filled with an infinitive amount of stars. I told myself to stop staring, as I would only get more embarrassed, standing there basically drenched in melted snow. I felt like a rusty lamp next to a chandelier. Except Fang wasn't so…sparkly.

Slowly, Fang soundlessly sat down on the floor, leaning against the wall. I took this as an invite, hesitantly sliding down next to him. The tension hung over like a heavy cloud, a wind slowly choking the both of us.

I couldn't stand it. "See, that particular pear in that painting over there is especially hard to create, given the specific angle of the curvature from the stem to the body-this must be created with a single brush stroke and requires not only control but focus and the artist who-" I felt a blush creeping up, and quickly squeezed my eyes shut. "Sorry."

God, I was making such a _fool _of myself.

And my blabbering was utterly useless, given that I had absolutely no idea what I was talking about. The silence took over again.

"Do you like it? The painting, I mean."

My eyes snapped open in surprise. My head whipped around to face Fang, who was still gazing ahead. Maybe it was simply the moment, but I swear he was smirking. Just ever so slightly. I took a huge breath. _ Please don't screw this up, Max. _ "Uh, yeah. The artist's personality really shows through. 'Cause from the shadows of the fruit, you can see that the painter keeps to himself, but um, must be a pretty awesome person judging from the flecks of contrasting hues emerging from the apple. He must of been pretty frustrated at someone when he created those dark lines smudging into the fruit." I gulped. " And that someone was probably really, really stupid though, because the painting is really, really brilliant."

"And she's really, really sorry." I finished, whispering those last words.

Fang's small smirk grew into a full-on grin. His entire face glowed as he said, "Who knew you were so deep, Maxie?"

Before I could lovingly tell him to shut up, he smashed his lips to mine. I blinked, not fully comprehending what was happening, before kissing him back-slowly, then confidently, because this time, I knew it wasn't a mistake. His hands moved to slowly cup my face, gently, as my arms wrapped around my neck. Shocks of electricity pulsed through my skin, causing me to shiver as he deepened the kiss.

After that moment of bliss, he finally broke away, still smiling. He stood up, offering me a hand. "I didn't put those lines there because I was mad at you, Maxie."

**WOAH! SAP OVERLOAD! That was SO hard to write, and it's short too, but I put a lot of thought into it, so please don't be mean! BTW, I think there's just one more chapter left-the epilogue to this story! **


	24. AWWWWWWWWWWWW

[A/N]: Oh guys! Have I told you how much I love you? I haven't been on Fanfiction in FOREVER, I know. I feel so bad!

Today I logged on and I saw 406 reviews. Seriously? 406? That's literally double from what I last saw!

You guys are honestly the bestestest people on the Earth. I love you all for reviewing, and pming me, and being completely awesome...

Aw, I'm going to cry.

I feel like taking a break from Fanfiction. Like, a real break. Maybe one day I'll come back and write something, but my obsession with fanfics has moved on. I mean, come on. That last MR book was just...ACK.

The Matchmaker, honestly speaking, was pretty darn awful. I should definitely edit it one of these days...Plot holes everywhere, no real character development...I've gotten better. Really.

And I have more ideas! My head is just bursting with things to write about. Just not here, with MR. I've grown out of it, I think. So I'm moving to Fictionpress and Wattpad. I have stories! Not much, but please please check them out!

My account is: ToBurnTheToaster

I've posted my new story on both accounts.

Staying Lessons:

When Avery meets her boarding school roommate, the ever-popular bad boy Chase Sinclair, her guard immediately goes up. She has a confrontation problem, and her instincts screams at her to run . But something about him tells her to stay. There's just one problem. Madison-Partridge Academy is an all-boys school. And Avery can't keep up the act forever.

Yups. It's a gender bender. If you do read it (I really hope so!) then, I'll probably put more effort into Wattpad. Just saying. You know, for the better viewing sensation.

And on Fictionpress, I have a ONE SHOT!

Time:

At the age of six, I was in love. At eight, I was married. At ten, I was divorced. Cooties were always the stupidest thing. But at fourteen, cooties no longer bothered him.

They're sappy, really. And pretty cliche. But pretty please?

I LURVE YOU.

-Kat


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